Creating a More Human, Holistic Approach to SDoH: Reaching the Unreachable

Ben joined UnitedHealthcare in 2017 and currently leads complex member services within UnitedHealthcare Government Programs. UnitedHealthcare aligns the Medicaid and Medicare businesses under one business unit—the Government Programs, which encompasses UnitedHealthcare Community & State and UnitedHealthcare Medicare & Retirement. UnitedHealthcare Community & State proudly serves 6.4 million Medicaid members in 30 states, plus Washington D.C. UnitedHealthcare Medicare & Retirement is the largest business dedicated to the health and well-being needs of seniors and other Medicare beneficiaries, serving more than 12.5 million —or nearly one in five beneficiaries through its portfolio of Medicare plans.

UnitedHealthcare is a division of UnitedHealth Group (NYSE: UNH) which is a diversified health and well-being company with a mission to help people live healthier lives and help make the health system work better for everyone.

Prior to his current role, Ben served as the Chief Operating Officer for UnitedHealthcare’s Global Solutions business where he was accountable for the end-to-end operations performance. He oversaw the redesign of the member and client service experience and transformed both Clinical and Global Assistance functions which improved member support and quality and created more market competitive service offerings.

Before joining UnitedHealthcare, Ben held a number of roles including Vice President of Optum Operations and Optum Health. Ben has 20+ years of experience in the healthcare and consulting industries.

Ben resides in Minneapolis, MN and enjoys spending time outdoors with his wife and three sons.

A proven leader in the healthcare industry, Sara was the CEO of HealthEHR where she helped venture-backed organizations develop Medicare and Medicaid program strategies for emerging markets leveraging CMS and state frameworks to generate opportunities for program development and expansion. She has also served as SVP, Corporate Systems and Compliance at RedBrick Health, President of NeoPath Health, and as General Counsel, VP of Strategic Partnerships and Human Resources at CVS CareMark (MinuteClinic division).

Sara serves on several Boards of Directors, including Proximal Health, a venture-backed health insurance company that she co-founded; she has also previously served on other for-profit and nonprofit Boards of Directors. Throughout her career Sara has received notable awards such as the Business Journal Top 25 Women to Watch, Top 40 under 40, and was named part of Twin Cities Business Real Power 50.

She earned a B.A, cum laude, from Washington University in St. Louis, and her J.D. from St. Louis University graduating magna cum laude. To foster her competitive spirit, Sara actively trains and competes as a triathlete, racing in international distance triathlons to Ironmans.

Traci is a Project Management Professional (PMP) and Certified Community Health Worker (CCHW). She earned these certifications because she is an accomplished leader with a 25-year track record of successful strategic and tactical leadership within the healthcare industry.

She specializes in project management, business process optimization and reengineering, and regulatory compliance. Additionally, Traci has developed management policies and procedures designed to maintain a transparent and strong operating environment regardless of the size of the company or organization.

She has extensive experience in operations management, corporate culture change, policy and procedure development, and major project management in her positions of Director of Government Programs, Director of Project Management, Product Development Manager, and Contract Manager at Optima Health Plan and Sentara Healthcare. Earlier in her career, Traci was Assistant Finance Director for the Museum of the Confederate (Now known as the American Civil War Museum) in Richmond, VA.

With an unwavering commitment to excellence, Traci promotes thought leadership and innovation in her approach to tasks. She has expertise in leading and implementing enterprise-wide initiatives, demonstrated the ability to instill a common goal and develop a balanced team based on trust and mutual respect. She has a collaborative leadership style with highly effective planning, organizational, and communication skills, which drive solutions and results.

Merrill leads the execution and advocacy strategy for Anthem.  She works collaboratively with consumers, advocates and stakeholders to ensure diverse interests and preferences of various communities e.g., disability, aging, LGBTQA+, and Foster Care inform Anthem’s health benefits approaches and healthcare programs. Ms. Friedman advances the integration of the independent living philosophy and the National Advisory Board (NAB) on Improving Healthcare Services for Older Adults and People with Disabilities six foundational principles throughout programs, individual interactions, and business practices. In addition, she leads strategic partnerships with national and local organizations to advance the development of inclusive public policy relating to healthcare equity and access.

Merrill is a nationally recognized leader in Medicaid, long-term services and supports, and health services that reflect the needs and interests of older adults, people with disabilities, and children and adolescents. She has served on numerous national boards and commissions.  She was appointed by President Barack Obama to the President’s Committee for People with Intellectual Disabilities.  Currently, Merrill serves on the board of directors for Family Voices and the Long-Term Quality Alliance (LTQA) and is a member of the National Academy of Social Insurance (NASI) and the NASUAD MLTSS Institute Advisory Board.