Clever Care Health Plan positioned for next stage of growth

HUNTINGTON BEACH, California, March 7, 2024 (CLEVER CARE HEALTH PLAN)—Clever Care Health Plan Inc. (“Clever Care”), a leading Medicare Advantage plan provider, surpasses 24,000 members and continues to see growth in the market. Clever Care’s recent 112% YoY growth highlights the company’s commitment to providing quality Medicare services, making it now projected to be a top-five growing plan in its core counties in Southern California.

Expanding Executive Leadership

Clever Care is excited to announce effective immediately, Karen Walker Johnson, Executive Chair and Interim Chief Operating Officer (COO) of Clever Care, has been appointed to the role of Interim Chief Executive Officer (CEO). Johnson, a seasoned veteran with over 35 years in the healthcare industry, has deep operational expertise in highly regulated insurance lines of business, product development, direct to consumer growth, compliance, and organizational transformation. Recognized for her strategic and business acumen, Johnson’s passion is in leadership development and positively impacting and improving the health status of vulnerable populations, while advancing health equity. Karen has served as Medicare Officer for Health Net, a Centene Corporation (CNC) company and Fortune 20 enterprise, where she managed a $3.5B+ revenue generating multiproduct business. She also served on the Enterprise Diversity and Inclusion Council and Corporate Health Equity Task Force. Additionally, Karen has held executive leadership roles for UnitedHealthcare, Cigna, WellCare, Prudential, Health Essentials, Cleveland Clinic Health System and Lake Health.

Clever Care is also pleased to announce the promotions of Richard Greene to President (previously CFO) and Erin Ramsey to COO (previously SVP of Operations).

Greene brings extensive knowledge and experience as a healthcare executive and has previously served as the COO/ CFO at AppleCare Medical Management (a subsidiary of Optum) and provided financial leadership from 1996 to 2010 as CFO at Arcadian Management Services, Syntiro HealthCare Services, and PacifiCare Health Systems.

Ramsey has over ten years of operational and compliance-managed care experience. Prior to Clever Care, Ramsey was the Vice President of Managed Care at Coast Healthcare Management and the Chief Compliance Officer for Golden State Medicare Health Plan.

The Company’s growth and stability in the market allowed for seamless leadership changes thanks to the stewardship of Myong Lee, CEO, and co-founder of Clever Care, and the rest of the executive leadership team.

Lee, the company’s former CEO, transitioned leadership to Clever Care’s team of industry experts for its next phase of growth. As a chief architect of Clever Care, Lee played an instrumental role in cultivating a company culture that reflects the values instilled in its community outreach and critical care provided to its members.

“The company is grateful for Myong’s vision,” said Johnson. “His contributions have been invaluable, and we wish him all the best in his future endeavors. I’m honored and humbled to lead the company as interim CEO.”

Next Phase of Growth

Recognizing the existing health disparity gap and seeing industry standard plans fall short in providing culturally sensitive care, Clever Care’s Medicare Advantage plan aligns with the traditions, values, and needs of the communities it serves. The company upholds the tenacity of being a grassroots disrupter while affirming its position as a tried-and-true stalwart Medicare provider—championing equity through comprehensive in-language services and uniquely enriched preventive care and Eastern medicine benefits not often found in other plans.

As a result, Clever Care has amassed over 15,000 provider facilities, 50+ leading hospitals, 900+ in-network acupuncturists, and a network of over 2,000 bilingual physicians and Eastern wellness specialists. The company has also achieved a remarkable average speed of answer of 9.6 seconds from its member service team in 2023, delivering seven culturally competent in-language offerings. This healthcare ecosystem is custom-built for Clever Care’s membership, 85% of whom are ethnic minorities.

By expanding its executive leadership team, Clever Care will continue to drive significant growth within the market.

“Karen, Richard, and Erin’s new roles mark a pivotal moment for Clever Care, positioning the company for significant market expansion in the years ahead,” said Ben Robbins of GV, an investor in Clever Care. “We are thrilled with Clever Care’s growth, seeing it as a testament to its unique value proposition and commitment to health equity.”

The company remains dedicated to removing barriers to care, providing quality and customizable healthcare and in-language services that honor the traditions and values of the communities it serves.

“The priority for Clever Care,” said Johnson, “is expanding and broadening our service reach while maintaining the same community-minded advocacy in delivering comprehensive culturally sensitive care. Healthcare is a right, not a privilege. Clever Care will always remain at the forefront of health equity, providing Western and Eastern medicine, and in-language services built on interpretive power, and the traditions and values of the communities we serve.”