Health care spending in the US already represents almost 20% of GDP. The costs are staggering and are expected to continue growing. Among the causes are an aging population, increasing prevalence of obesity and chronic diseases, and the inefficient use of resources. The Health Insurance industry must do its part to slow the growth trajectory of health spending and that increasingly means utilizing technology.
Join Moody’s for a series of interviews that will explore how two leading companies, Centene Corporation and Highmark Health are utilizing technology to control costs and improve outcomes.
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SpeakersStefan Kahandaliyanage Assistant Vice President, Financial Institutions Group Moody's Investors Service
Dean Ungar Vice President - Senior Credit Officer, Financial Institutions Group Moody's Investors Service
David Holmberg Chief Executive Officer Highmark Health
Michael Neidorff Chief Executive Officer Centene Corporation
Sarah London President, Health Care Enterprises Centene Corporation
Saurabh Tripathi Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer Highmark Health
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Stefan is a lead analyst within the Financial Institutions Group at Moody’s covering a portfolio of US health insurance companies, asset managers, and investment funds.
Prior to rejoining Moody’s in 2017, he was a lead analyst at Fitch Ratings covering US regional, Puerto Rican, and Bermudan banks as well as foreign banking organizations. Before that, Stefan was an analyst within the Insurance Americas group at Moody’s for several years, which included stints covering life, P&C, and title insurers.
Stefan started his career as a credit analyst at American International Group covering the life insurance sector for the firm’s life settlement securitizations business. A CFA charterholder, Stefan graduated with Distinction from the University of Toronto with a BA in Political Science, Economics, and German and earned a MA in Quantitative Economics and International Relations from the School of Advanced International Studies, Johns Hopkins University.
Dean joined Moody’s in 2015 as a senior analyst responsible for a portfolio of US asset managers and managed investment funds. In 2016, his responsibilities expanded to also include a portfolio of health insurance companies. From 2000 – 2015, Dean served as an equity analyst. As a Vice President at Neuberger Berman from 2000 – 2006, Dean initially covered the banking sector in Neuberger’s research group and then covered small and mid-cap financials, including asset managers as part of the Genesis fund team. After joining UBS Wealth Management Research in 2006, as one of the original members of the group’s equity research group, Dean covered banks, mortgage REITs, and consumer and specialty finance. Dean also served as a bank examiner with the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, the head of internal audit at the New York branch of a Finnish bank, a consultant on bank regulatory issues at KPMG and the compliance officer for Commerzbank’s US offices. Dean earned a B.A. in Economics from Fordham University and a Graduate Diploma in Economics with honors from the London School of Economics. A Chartered Financial Analyst, Dean is member of the CFA institute.
David L. Holmberg is president and chief executive officer of Highmark Health, a $21 billion blended health organization that includes one of America’s largest Blue Cross Blue Shield insurers and a growing regional hospital and physician network. Based in Pittsburgh, PA, Highmark Health’s 35,000 employees serve millions of customers nationwide through the nonprofit organization’s affiliated businesses, including Highmark Inc., Allegheny Health Network, HM Insurance Group, United Concordia Dental, and HM Health Solutions.
One of the nation’s most influential and transformative health care executives, Holmberg is helping to shape the future of this fast-evolving industry. He has proactively and regularly engaged with trade associations, regulators, peer organizations, strategic partners, and government entities — both regional and national — to resolve critical health care issues and ensure the equitable treatment of Highmark Health’s patients, policyholders, and business customers. In 2016, Highmark Health sued the U.S. government in federal claims court, resulting in a 2020 Supreme Court ruling that affirmed that the federal government must fulfill its promises to preserve the trust that makes successful public-private partnerships, including the ACA marketplace, possible.
In early 2020, Highmark Health’s financial strength and stability enabled the rapid deployment of resources needed to diagnose, treat and support the organization’s members and patients through the COVID 19 pandemic. It has also enabled the implementation of a bold transformation strategy designed to lead the change in the health care experience for consumers by providing affordable, accessible, high-quality, community-based medicine and coverage options. The 2020 COVID-19 pandemic accelerated that strategy due to Highmark Health’s differentiated position in the industry as a vertically integrated payer-provider.
Michael F. Neidorff is recognized as a transformative leader and executive with a wealth of experience in starting and managing healthcare enterprises. He has successfully led the development and implementation of programs and services under Medicaid, Medicare, and commercial managed care while remaining committed to the core philosophy that quality healthcare is best delivered locally.
Mr. Neidorff became president and chief executive officer of Centene Corporation in 1996. From the time Mr. Neidorff joined Centene, he has led its transformation from a closely held, $40 million corporation to a publicly traded (NYSE: CNC), FORTUNE® 50, diversified, multi-national healthcare enterprise with annual revenues expected to exceed $120 billion in 2021. Mr. Neidorff is the longest-tenured CEO among the major managed care companies.
Under Mr. Neidorff’s direction, Centene has expanded from operating Medicaid health plans solely in Wisconsin and Indiana, to operations and implementations in all 50 states serving more than 25 million managed care and TRICARE eligible beneficiaries. The company provides cost-effective coverage solutions to the rising number of under-insured and uninsured people. In 2020, Centene ranked No. 42 on the FORTUNE 500® list and was named to the Change the World® list. Centene was recognized as one of the FORTUNE 2021 World’s Most Admired Companies®.
Sarah London is the President of Health Care Enterprises and Executive Vice President of Advanced Technology for Centene Corporation, a diversified, multi-national healthcare enterprise that provides a portfolio of services to government-sponsored healthcare programs focusing on under-insured and uninsured individuals. In this role, she is responsible for a portfolio of companies independent of Centene health plans, designing differentiated platform capabilities, and delivering industry-leading products and services to third-party customers. Ms. London previously served as Senior Vice President of Technology Innovation and Modernization, responsible for enterprise-wide technology strategy and execution with a focus on next-generation products and services.
Before joining Centene, Ms. London was a Partner at Optum Ventures, the $600M venture capital arm of United Health Group. While at Optum Ventures, Ms. London led investments in and served on the boards of early-stage healthcare start-ups.
Ms. London received a B.A. Magna Cum Laude in History & Literature from Harvard College and an M.B.A. with High Honors from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business.
Saurabh Tripathi is the executive vice president and chief financial officer at Highmark Health, a $21 billion national, blended health organization that includes one of America's largest Blue Cross Blue Shield insurers and a growing regional hospital and physician network. Based in Pittsburgh, Pa., Highmark Health's 37,000 employees serve millions of customers nationwide through the nonprofit organization's affiliated businesses including Highmark Inc., Allegheny Health Network, HM Insurance Group, United Concordia Dental, HM Health Solutions and Helion.
In this role, Mr. Tripathi is responsible for leading the enterprise's efforts to develop, plan, and implement finance strategies, serving as the primary liaison among regulators and ratings agencies, and overseeing the finance, real estate, tax, and procurement divisions of Highmark Health. A Fortune 50 executive, Mr. Tripathi holds over 23 years of experience in managing global teams and multi-billion dollar profit and loss accounts, and serving as a strategic business partner at the c-suite level to drive profitable growth. Prior to joining Highmark Health, Mr. Tripathi most recently served as senior vice president and chief financial officer for Fresenius Kidney Care, Fresenius Vascular Care, National Cardiovascular Partners, Fresenius Labs, and Fresenius Physician Practices at Fresenius Medical Care in Boston, MA. During his tenure as CFO of this $12 billion segment of Fresenius Medical Care, Mr. Tripathi provided financial leadership to more than 2,400 medical facilities across the U.S., and led a team of 1,000 finance professionals.
Prior to Fresenius, Mr. Tripathi spent 20 years in GE and P&G businesses as a financial leader of various global divisions. He started his career as an electrical engineer, later shifting to finance and joining Procter & Gamble (UK & Ireland) as a brand finance analyst. Mr. Tripathi subsequently took increasing responsibilities at GE Appliances and GE Capital in Europe and moved to GE Healthcare, USA in 2003, where he served as global head of financial planning and analysis for GE Healthcare Systems, CFO of GE Healthcare's Global Surgery, CFO of Global Service Parts, and CFO of Diagnostic Imaging Performance Solutions businesses based at the global headquarters of GE Healthcare at Milwaukee, WI.
Active in his community, Mr. Tripathi serves on the Board of Trustees and the Finance Committee for Point Park University. Previous he served as a member of the board of directors at the Asia Pacific American Forum at GE, a leader of United Way I-Care at the United Way of Greater Milwaukee & Waukesha County, a champion and sponsor of the Fresenius Women's Resource Group Diversity Forum, and a management team member of the Fresenius Foundation.
Mr. Tripathi earned his Bachelor of Science and Master of Science in electrical engineering at the National Institute of Technology in India. He earned his Master of Business Administration in finance at Leeds Business School at the University of Leeds in the United Kingdom, and completed the European Financial Leadership Program at General Electric Company in 2007. Mr. Tripathi has completed advanced management courses at the GE Leadership Centre in Crotonville, New York City and completed the Driving Corporate Performance Program at Harvard Business School in Boston, MA. Mr. Tripathi is a certified Six Sigma Black Belt.