COLUMBUS, Ohio, April 1, 2008 /PRNewswire/ — The Ohio Association of Health Plans (OAHP), the statewide trade association of companies providing health care benefits to more than six million Ohioans, announced the election of new officers this week.
Kathleen Crampton of New Albany, Ohio, will serve as chair of OAHP. Crampton is the Chair of the Board of Buckeye Community Health Plan, a 127,000-member managed care plan serving the Ohio CFC Medicaid program in the Northwest and East Central regions of Ohio, and the ABD Medicaid program in the Northwest, East Central, Southwest, and Northeast regions of Ohio. Kathleen has more than 20 years experience in health care administration and managed care, with experience ranging from hospital administration to sales and marketing.
Crampton takes the reigns as chair of the association following the leadership of Bill Epling, Chief Executive Officer, WellCare, who served as the chair of OAHP for 11 years.
“OAHP is grateful for Bill’s dedication to the health plan industry during this time as chair,” said Crampton. “His vision and dedication to ensuring that Ohio’s health plans have a seat at the table in critical discussions about health care will have a positive impact for many years to come.”
Other newly elected OAHP officers include:
Fred Hyser of Westerville, Ohio, will serve as OAHP’s vice chair. Hyser is currently Director, National Accounts for Aetna, where he has served in the capacities of six different offices for the organization since joining it more than 35 years ago. Aetna is one of the nation’s leaders in health care, dental, pharmacy, group life, and disability insurance, and employee benefits, with nearly 17 million medical health plan participants nationwide.
Lisa Bateson of Dublin, Ohio, will serve as treasurer for OAHP. Bateson, is Staff Vice President State Affairs for Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield, a subsidiary of WellPoint, Inc. , the largest health benefits company in terms of commercial membership in the United States. Bateson has been with Anthem for seventeen years.
“Health plans are a vital contributor to Ohio’s health care industry,” said Kelly McGivern, OAHP President and CEO. “These companies are the source of more than 13,000 Ohio jobs, they create and implement numerous initiatives to improve the health of Ohioans and the efficiency of providing health care services, and they are valuable participants in the debate about health care reform. Our new officers will be leading this organization at a time when critical decisions will be made about the future of health care in Ohio – including working with the state to find solutions for the uninsured – and there is no doubt that these leaders are up to the task.”
The mission of the OAHP is to promote and advocate quality health care and access to a variety of affordable health care benefits for all Ohioans. http://www.oahp.org/
Ohio Association of Health Plans
CONTACT: Kelly McGivern, President and CEO, Ohio Association of HealthPlans, +1-614-228-4662, [email protected]
Web site: http://www.oahp.org/
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