Health Insurance Coverage in California
| Insurance Company | Western Health Advantage |
|---|---|
| State | California |
| Website | westernhealth.com |
| Number of Hospitals in Network | 25 |
| Number of Plans Offered | 4 |
3 plans
1 plan
| Plan Name | Plan Type |
|---|---|
| Western Health Advantage | HMO |
| Western Health Advantage-Medicare Advantage | MEDICARE ADVANTAGE |
| Western Health Advantage (WHA) | HMO |
| Western Health Advantage Covered California | HMO |
Garry Maisel has provided leadership at Western Health Advantage (WHA) from its start-up in 1996 to the present. [1] He has been President and CEO for almost 30 years. [1] WHA currently provides medical coverage to more than 120,000 members in Northern California. [1] Maisel holds a degree in finance and economics from California State University Sacramento. [3, 5] He has over 34 years of experience in healthcare as well as 10 years in the banking and finance industry. [3, 5] He has received numerous awards, including the Sacramento Business Journal's 2020 Most Admired CEO Award. [3]
As of July 1, 2024, Dr. Khuram Arif serves as the President of Western Health Advantage. [1] He was formerly Chief Medical Officer and Chief Operating Officer. [3] Dr. Khuram Arif is a board-certified pediatrician and practiced for 19 years. [1, 3, 9] He has spent a decade in physician leadership guiding medical groups in the transition from volume to value-based care. [1, 9] Most recently he served as Chief Medical Officer at Woodland Clinic and Medical Director Managed Care at Mercy Medical Group. [1, 3] Dr. Arif obtained an MBA from UC Davis in 2014 and became a Certified Physician Executive with the American Association of Physician Leadership in 2019. [1, 3]
Wendy Soe-McKeeman joined WHA in 2024 as its Chief Legal Officer. [1] In this role, she provides legal and compliance leadership and is responsible for the Legal, Compliance and Privacy and Information Security programs. [1] She brings significant experience working in state government and the private sector with a focus on health policy, compliance, and law, and began her state service career in 2010 working on health care reform efforts spurred on by the Affordable Care Act. [1]
Dr. Kiran Biring has been with Western Health Advantage since 2021. [1] She is an accomplished healthcare leader with nearly 20 years of experience across multiple sectors in the healthcare industry. [1] She has provided strategic and operational leadership for the Pharmacy and Medical Management Department, drawing from a diverse background that spans the public health sector, hospital systems, long-term care, pharmacy benefit management (PBM), and national health plans. [1]
As the Chief Sales Officer, Jeff oversees WHA's Sales and Major Accounts and provides market leadership as a key member of the senior management team. [1, 7] He leads a 21-person sales team, handling nearly 135,000 members from private and public sector employer groups as well as individual and family accounts. [7]
Since March 2019, Rick Heron is the strategic leader representing WHA's customers and driving excellent customer experience across the entire organization. [1] He is responsible for coordinating all of the organization's external affairs, including advertising, marketing, communications, branding, charitable outreach, public affairs and member services. [1]
Rita Ruecker is a Chief Financial Officer at Western Health Advantage. [1, 7]
Blaire has spent over 15 years at WHA, and currently, oversees Quality, Accreditation, Population Health Management, Credentialing, Potential Quality Issues and Health Equity. [9]
Amanda is currently leading population health initiatives at WHA. In May 2020, she completed her MBA with a concentration in Healthcare Analytics. [9]