The online health insurance marketplace eHealth has announced that Fran Soistman has been appointed as CEO and a member of the board of directors effective November 01. Soistman succeeds Scott Flanders, who has announced his intention to retire. Flanders will remain with the company through the end of the year to assist in the transition.
Soistman has nearly four decades of experience in healthcare and managed care. Prior to joining eHealth, he served as executive vice president at CVS Health and president of government services for Aetna following its acquisition by CVS Health. At Aetna, he was responsible for leading the strategic execution and profitable growth of its Medicare, Medicaid, and federal employees health benefit business. Before that, he co-founded Jessamine Healthcare. He has also served in executive leadership positions at Coventry Healthcare, Principal Health Care and Blue Cross Blue Shield of Maryland.
eHealth also revealed that Dale Wolf, a member of the board of directors, has been appointed chairman of the board. Wolf has significant experience in the managed care and health insurance space. He previously served as chair of the board for Molina Healthcare and as CEO of several healthcare companies.
“Fran is a true innovator in the health insurance industry, and we are pleased to appoint him as the next CEO of eHealth,” Wolf said. “Our markets are continuing to evolve, with consumers increasingly looking online for healthcare and with key partners increasing their focus on enrollment quality, which is requiring eHealth and others across the industry to dedicate more time and resources to address that aspect of their businesses.
“Fran brings an extensive record of driving performance, meeting challenges head-on and exceeding expectations. He also has strong health insurance carrier relationships and an in-depth understanding of their evolving priorities, which are critical to eHealth’s business. The board believes that he is the right person with the right expertise to lead eHealth forward, and we are confident that he will enable eHealth to achieve a new phase of growth and shareholder value creation.”
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“eHealth is a fundamentally strong company with a unique, customer-centric platform and long-term profitable growth potential,” Soistman said. “I am honored to join the team at this important juncture. I intend to move forward thoughtfully, but also with a sense of urgency. My primary focus in the first 60 days will be our sales and operations during the Medicare Annual Enrollment Period season. In addition, I will be collaborating with the board and leadership team, and reaching out to our business associates, to review the business and identify opportunities to improve our performance in all areas of operations. eHealth’s mission of providing affordable and easily accessible healthcare has never been more important, and I look forward to reaching out to carrier partners to confirm that eHealth is meeting or exceeding their expectations.”
