UCare named Hilary Marden-Resnik as its president and chief executive, a leadership change that comes as the Minneapolis-based nonprofit is trying to extend a recent growth spurt.
Marden-Resnik, 53, became interim CEO in the fall when Mark Traynor, the health plan's previous chief executive, left UCare to pursue a career in teaching. Previously, she served starting in 2010 as the company's chief administrative officer.
This winter, UCare announced plans for a possible expansion into Iowa's health insurance market. With growing enrollment in Minnesota in recent years, particularly among Medicaid beneficiaries, employment at UCare has jumped to about 1,200 people — an increase of 50% since 2017.
"We are adding a lot of employees right now, and it's not because of turnover," Marden-Resnik said. "We are adding hundreds of new positions in 2022 to prepare for additional growth."
UCare is somewhat unique among health insurers in focusing exclusively on government-funded health insurance and not selling coverage for employer groups.
The nonprofit got its start more than 30 years ago as a managed care contractor to Minnesota's Medicaid program, which primarily covers low-income residents. UCare then expanded into Medicare Advantage health plans, where seniors opt to receive their government-funded benefits through private health insurers.