University of Utah Health Care is pleased to announce that Chad Westover, M.P.A, has accepted the position of Health Plan CEO. Most recently Westover served as president of Molina Healthcare. He joins the University on February 2.
"Chad's expertise and experience in health insurance — which is such an important piece of the health care reform puzzle— will be huge assets to our health care system," said Senior Vice President of Health Sciences Vivian Lee, M.D., Ph.D., M.B.A. "He's a leader with passion for empowering people to take control of their health. He understands very well how we as a health system can be good partners with payers and others in the community to keep the people healthy."
There aren't many people who have been around Utah health care plans as much as Westover. While at Molina Healthcare, he oversaw the health plan operations in Utah along with the implementation and execution of various strategic initiatives. He was responsible for the plan's financial efficiency and regulatory compliance.
"I'm excited to join a stellar group of people and help build out member-focused insurance products for our employees and for the community," said Westover, who earned his undergrad and Master's of Public Administration at BYU.
Westover was the inaugural director of the Utah Department of Health's Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP). The founder and chair of the National Alliance for State CHIP Directors, Westover began his career as a staffer in the U.S. Congress, first as a research analyst for the Senate's Committee on Labor and Human Resources and then as a senior legislative assistant to Rep. Michael Huffington of California.
Other stops in his career include a 4-year stint as a health policy consultant for Gov. Mike Leavitt and seven years as vice president of Business Development and State-Sponsored Business at WellPoint, Inc.