Dr. William Winkenwerder joins WPS Board of Directors
Former Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs also held executive positions in insurance and health care
MADISON, Wis.—July 14, 2016—A nationally known health care strategist, with extensive leadership experience in the Department of Defense and the private health sector, has been elected to the Board of Directors for Wisconsin Physicians Service Insurance Corporation, doing business as WPS Health Solutions.
Dr. William Winkenwerder currently is Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Winkenwerder Strategies, a health care advisory and investment firm based in New York. He is an expert in health care finance, health insurance operations, federal health policy, and new technologies.
From 2001 to 2007, Dr. Winkenwerder was Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs with responsibility for a $40 billion annual budget, 132,000 personnel, and 9.2 million beneficiaries worldwide.
“Bill Winkenwerder is a national health care leader who understands the intricacies of government contracts,” said Mike Hamerlik, President and CEO of WPS. “He has a wealth of knowledge about health care delivery and technological innovations that can help transform the health care system in the United States. We are fortunate to benefit from his expertise on the WPS Board of Directors.”
From 2012 to 2014, Dr. Winkenwerder was President and CEO of Highmark Health, a Pennsylvania-based diversified insurance and health care enterprise, with revenues of $17 billion, employing 38,000 people and serving 35 million individuals. He led a transformation to create the third-largest integrated health care delivery and financing network in the nation. Highmark Health operates Blue Cross Blue Shield plans in multiple states, and provides dental insurance, vision care, and other health services. Highmark Health also operates Allegheny Health Network, comprised of seven hospitals and more than 2,500 affiliated physicians.
Earlier in his career, he held senior leadership positions at Blue Cross of Massachusetts, Prudential Healthcare, and Emory University. Dr. Winkenwerder is a Fellow of the American College of Physicians, and a board-certified physician who practiced primary-care medicine.
As a thought leader, Dr. Winkenwerder has been an advocate for preventive health care, evidence-based medicine, internet technology-based solutions, and consumer engagement. He has worked closely with major national employers on their health care cost issues. He has been a health industry strategist, an adviser to presidential candidates, and a news media contributor on health issues.
A graduate of Davidson College in North Carolina and the University of North Carolina School of Medicine, Dr. Winkenwerder received a Master of Business Administration degree from The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania.
About WPS Health Solutions
WPS Health Solutions is a nationally regarded government contractor and Wisconsin’s leading not-for-profit health insurer. The WPS Health Insurance division offers affordable individual health insurance, family health insurance and high-deductible health insurance, as well as flexible and affordable group plans and cost-effective benefit plan administration for businesses. The WPS Government Health Administrators division administers Part A and B Medicare benefits for millions of seniors in multiple states, and the WPS Military and Veterans Health division serves millions more members who are active in the U.S. military, veterans and their families. In 2016, the international Ethisphere® Institute named WPS one of the World’s Most Ethical Companies® for the seventh straight year. For more information, please visit www.wpsic.com.
