CHICAGO, Sept. 24, 2020 – Zing Health, a physician-led Medicare Advantage HMO plan, announced today that Eric Mattelson has been named chief actuary. He will focus on identifying key cost drivers and implementing innovative financial strategies to advance Zing Health’s goal of providing affordable, holistic and inclusive care to improve community health for underserved populations.
Mattelson is a seasoned leader in the managed care industry. He has 15 years of experience developing actuarial and economics capabilities for healthcare providers, especially relative to strategic and financial risk guidance. His proven ability to combine the technical and analytical skills of an actuary with the business acumen and creativity of an entrepreneur is ideal for Zing Health’s vision to implement innovative, community-based Medicare Advantage plans that make sure members get the right care at the right time.
“As an actuary, I’ve developed the financial and statistical experience to solve complex business problems, and my experience has prepared me well for Zing’s mission,” Mattelson said. “There’s growing recognition that social determinants act as significant drivers of health, and I’m prepared to help Zing develop actionable steps to address these issues as the company rolls out its Medicare Advantage plan.”
“Eric’s passion for driving change, combined with his acumen in product development, pricing and forecasting, will serve Zing Health well,” Zing Health Cofounder and CEO Eric Whitaker said. “Given his impressive track record in medical economics, from care cost reporting and trend analysis to benchmarking and improvement opportunity assessment, we’re looking forward to both strengthening and streamlining our care model.”
Improving Community Health
Mattelson comes to Zing Health from a three-year stint as chief actuary of Johns Hopkins HealthCare. There, he led a team of 15 and was responsible for the alignment of actuarial services with financial functions for a 430,000-life provider-sponsored health plan spanning managed Medicaid, Medicare Advantage, TRICARE and Self-insured Employer Group. He was integrally involved in financial analytic support for more than 40,000 life Medicare ACOs, and his actuarial services were invaluable in the interaction between payer and provider economic dynamics.
Prior to joining John Hopkins HealthCare, Mattelson was a senior consulting actuary for Willis Towers Watson, senior director of actuarial services for Evolent Health and director of actuarial services for XL Health. At the latter, he crafted a savvy negotiation strategy and support for providers regarding value-based contracts with payers and employers, shaping a sound Medicare Advantage strategy.
“I’ve worked with Medicare Advantage plans my whole career, but when I heard about Zing’s mission and its commitment to serving underserved populations I knew I wanted to be involved. Developing a Medicare product that will attract and provide services to a segment of the population that hasn’t had their needs met by the traditional health plans is an exciting challenge,” Mattelson said.
He added that working alongside Zing Health’s Founder, Dr. Eric Whitaker, was also a big reason he wanted to be a part of this endeavor, citing the long-time health executive’s exemplary career and strong connection to the community.
In his role, Mattelson will be helping insurance plans and health plans make better and smarter decisions using data and analytics to provide insights to help business leaders understand their business better and use the information to make decisions around the best programs and products.
He noted that Medicare plans have a lot to figure out to help identify the right populations and identify the right products that are going to serve their needs.
Driving Positive Change in a Pandemic and Beyond
“I look forward to working with our plan members and getting a sense of the financial and economic dynamics around our products to improve health care for the people we serve,” Mattelson said. “It’s important to understand what our members are looking for and what their needs are; help them better understand how Zing positions itself against competitor plans; and use those insights to help us grow and serve a more expanse set of members.
“I know what sorts of levers to pull to make a plan successful,” he added. “In my position at Hopkins, we worked with underserved communities in Baltimore, so I have experience serving vulnerable populations and have a good sense of their needs. With Zing, we feel we have a unique experience to deliver stellar health outcomes for these underserved populations.”
That’s important today more than ever, as the impact from COVID on these communities is making their needs even greater. “While others may run away from diverse populations, we’re running towards them because Zing understands the importance of engaging with those in the population who need it most,” Mattelson said.
Mattelson earned his bachelor’s degree from Amherst College and is a Fellow of the Society of Actuaries.
About Zing Health
Zing Health Holdings, Inc. is a groundbreaking insurance company making Medicare Advantage the best it can be for those 65 and over or with long-term disability. It’s easy to get lost in the mix at big insurance companies. Zing Health’s community-based approach uses the social determinants of health to keep individuals and communities healthy, and returns the physician and the member to the center of the healthcare equation. This gives each member personalized care and service tailored to their singular needs. Members also receive individualized assistance to make their transition to Zing Health as easy as possible, and have the ability to personalize their plans, access to facilities designed to help them better meet their healthcare needs and a dedicated care team. For more information on Zing Health, visit www.myzinghealth.com.
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