TAMPA, Fla., Oct. 12 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- WellCare Health Plans, Inc. announced today that Marc S. Ryan, who is currently Secretary of the Connecticut Office of Policy and Management (OPM), has been chosen for the newly created position of Vice President, Government Affairs at WellCare, commencing in January 2005. In this national role, Ryan will oversee WellCare’s national government affairs strategy with state and federal agencies. He will be based at WellCare’s corporate headquarters in Tampa, Florida.
As Secretary of OPM, Ryan, 40, also serves as Budget Director for the state of Connecticut. He has been a senior member of former Connecticut Governor John G. Rowland’s staff since 1995, and he continued to serve as chief of OPM during the new administration of Connecticut Gov. M. Jodi Rell, who took office July 1. Since November 1998, when he was appointed to his current job, Ryan has been responsible for all aspects of policy, planning, budgeting and management of Connecticut state government. Prior to that, he was Deputy Secretary (or Deputy Budget Director). Before that, he served as Undersecretary of Intergovernmental Policy for the State of Connecticut, where he oversaw all aspects of policy and planning dealing with the state government’s relationship with both the federal government and Connecticut’s municipalities.
In June, Ryan was named by U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy Thompson as a member of the federal State Pharmaceutical Assistance Transition Commission. The commission is responsible for assisting HHS and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services with integrating state drug assistance programs for the elderly with the new Medicare Part D drug benefit.
“We are delighted that Marc Ryan will be joining the WellCare team,” said Todd S. Farha, WellCare’s President and Chief Executive Officer. “In Connecticut and in the nation, Marc is recognized for his expertise in the policy issues facing state governments. Marc has demonstrated keen leadership in reforming and expanding Connecticut’s healthcare system, and he is an advocate for improving the quality of healthcare services for the beneficiaries of government programs. Marc is highly regarded as a person of integrity, loyalty and competence, a leader who has earned bi-partisan respect both in Connecticut and nationally.”
In commenting on his future plans, Ryan said, “Since WellCare changed ownership two years ago, I have had the opportunity to meet Todd Farha and the WellCare team. I am impressed with WellCare’s commitment to delivering excellence in healthcare services for the beneficiaries of its government-sponsored healthcare programs. From my service in government, I understand the challenges faced by states trying to deliver quality healthcare programs while managing fiscal pressures. Effective managed care organizations, working within well-designed programs, are part of the solution to these challenges. By partnering with state and federal government agencies, I am convinced that WellCare is improving our critical healthcare programs. I look forward to working closely with WellCare’s management team to develop and execute a disciplined national growth strategy.”
In 1986, Mr. Ryan graduated cum laude from the Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University with a Bachelor of Science in Foreign Service. In 1998, he received a Master of Public Administration, specializing in local government management and managed healthcare, from the University of New Haven. He was inducted into Sigma Beta Delta, a national honor society for business, management and administration. Ryan currently is on the adjunct faculty of the University of New Haven, where he teaches state budgeting and health care policy.
Ryan has received numerous appointments, awards and honors for his work in promoting programs for persons with disabilities and for his efforts in improving healthcare and furthering managed care initiatives. He was leader of a team that crafted Connecticut’s new children’s health insurance program, and he has been recognized as a national leader in long-term care policy for older Americans.
About WellCare Health Plans, Inc.
WellCare Health Plans, Inc. provides managed care services targeted exclusively to government-sponsored healthcare programs, focusing on Medicaid and Medicare. Headquartered in Tampa, Florida, WellCare provides high-quality, affordable healthcare services to more than 695,000 members in Florida, New York, Connecticut, Illinois and Indiana.
This release contains “forward-looking” statements that are made pursuant to the Safe Harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Statements that are predictive in nature, that depend upon or refer to future events or conditions, or that include words such as “expects,” “anticipates,” “intends,” “plans,” “believes,” “estimates,” and similar expressions, including statements related to WellCare’s expected 2004 financial results, are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties that may cause WellCare’s actual future results to differ materially from those projected or contemplated in the forward-looking statements. These risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, the potential expiration, cancellation or suspension of WellCare’s state or federal contracts; WellCare’s ability to accurately predict and effectively manage health benefits and other operating expenses; WellCare’s ability to accurately estimate incurred but not reported medical costs; risks associated with future changes in healthcare laws; potential reductions in funding for government healthcare programs; risks associated with WellCare’s acquisition strategy; and risks associated with WellCare’s substantial debt obligations. Additional information concerning these and other important risks and uncertainties can be found under the heading “Risk Factors” in the prospectus from WellCare’s initial public offering, as filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on July 1, 2004. WellCare specifically disclaims any obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future developments or otherwise.
WellCare Health Plans, Inc.
CONTACT: Investors, Jeffrey Potter, VP, Corporate Development,+1-813-290-6313, or Jeff.Potter@wellcare.com ; or media, Donna Burtanger,Director, Corporate Communications, +1-813-290-6208, orDonna.Burtanger@wellcare.com , both of WellCare Health Plans, Inc.
