News Release

March 7, 2002

Contact:IHA (925) 746-5100
bcarter@iha.org

 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

IHA NAMES HEALTH PLAN CEOS TO BOARD 

WALNUT CREEK, CA – The Integrated Healthcare Association (IHA), a statewide leadership group active in health care policy and managed care issues, announces the appointment of two health plan CEOs to its board of directors:  Leona Butler, chief executive officer of Santa Clara Family Health Plan; and Bud Volberding, president of CIGNA HealthCare of California, Inc.

  Leona Butler is CEO of Santa Clara Family Health Plan, responsible for solidifying a strong Medi-Cal managed care program and the Healthy Families program for low-income children.  The community selected Santa Clara Family Health plan to establish and administer a groundbreaking new program – Healthy Kids – designed to cover those low-income children who are not eligible for Medi-Cal or Healthy Families.  Butler was formerly CEO of the Health Plan of San Joaquin, the local health plan established by the Board of Supervisors to provide managed care to the Medi-Cal population under the State’s “Two Plan Model” program.  Her long career in health care includes virtually every sector – as vice president for provider affairs at Blue Cross of California, where she created the first Prudent Buyer Plan; as the chief legislative staff member for Medi-Cal during a period of major reform; and as organizer and administrator of a large San Francisco medical group (now known as California Pacific Medical Group).

As head of CIGNA HealthCare’s West Coast Region, Bud Volberding has overall responsibility for the California, Washington and Oregon markets, with a combined managed care enrollment of more than 1.5 million members. Volberding joined CIGNA HealthCare in February 1997, having previously been president and CEO of both United HealthCare of California and MetraHealth of California.  He is a board member and officer of the California Association of Health Plans; a member of ABL, a business coalition; member of the Health Care Management Board of Advisors, UC Irvine; advisor for the College of Health and Human Services, CSU Long Beach; board member of INROADS/Southern California, Inc., a national organization that recruits and trains talented minority youth in business and industry; board member of California Health Decisions; member of the Forum for Corporate Directors; and a trustee of the National Health Foundation. He holds an MBA in Finance and a BS in Business Management/Marketing from Wayne State University, Detroit. 

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IHA (www.iha.org) is a California leadership group of health plans, physician groups, and health care systems, plus at large academic, purchaser, consumer, and pharmaceutical industry representatives, committed to policy development, public dialogue, and special projects associated with the continuing evolution of managed health care.  IHA’s most recent undertaking is a collaborative Pay for Performance initiative involving six major HMOs and their medical groups.

 


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