FirstCare Health Plans Names Two New Key Executives

AUSTIN, Texas, April 4, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, officials at FirstCare Health Plans announced the appointment of two new key executives who will aid the health plan on its path towards continued growth and success:  Tony Rourke, Assistant Vice President of Underwriting, and Will Rodriguez, Assistant Vice President of Network Management.

"We took great care in searching for the right person to oversee our health plan's underwriting team," said FirstCare CFO/COO Mark Huntley. "Tony has a proven track record of excellence—focusing on underwriting, operations and account management. He is a great addition to the FirstCare team as he will help us continue providing high-quality health care coverage, at an affordable price, to our members throughout the state of Texas."

Rourke brings over 20 years of life and health insurance experience, including driving profitable growth and member retention, with him to FirstCare. His previous leadership roles included serving as the Director of Underwriting for LifeMap Assurance Company (Portland, Oregon) and Manager of Underwriting for UnitedHealthcare (Lake Oswego, Oregon).

Rourke earned his bachelor's degree from George Fox University in Newberg, Oregon and currently holds Life & Health Insurance Agent licenses in both Oregon and Washington.

With more than 25 years of management experience, including 10 years in health insurance and a strong grasp of the Texas Medicaid Star program, Rodriguez brings a wealth of network experience to his new role. Prior to FirstCare, Will served as Vice President for Grace Health System in Lubbock, Texas, where he helped negotiate and secure telehealth contracts and services. He also previously served as Senior Director of Network Development for Superior Health Plan in Austin, Texas.

Rodriguez earned his bachelor's degree from Lubbock Christian University in Lubbock, Texas, and his master's degree in organizational leadership and ethics from Saint Edwards University in Austin, Texas. He is also a Six Sigma green belt.

"FirstCare's mission is to provide customers access to high quality and affordable health care through strong partnerships in the communities we serve, and that starts with a robust provider network," said Huntley. "Will shares our core belief that Texans and our communities should be healthy and he will help us leverage opportunities for FirstCare to continue delivering first-rate health care coverage to our members."

Both Rourke and Rodriguez are based out of FirstCare's headquarters in Austin, Texas.

About FirstCare Health Plans
Our mission is to provide access to high quality, affordable health care through strong partnerships in the communities we serve. Since 1985, we've been serving the health care needs of members across North, West, and Central Texas. Today, our service area includes 108 counties, with local offices in Abilene, Amarillo, Lubbock, and corporate offices in Austin, Texas. We offer a wide range of HMO, PPO, HSA, and ASO products through a variety of programs, including small and large employer plans; state, federal and teacher plans; government programs; and the Health Insurance Marketplace. With the support of our owners, Covenant Health in Lubbock and Hendrick Health System in Abilene, we serve over 185,000 members. For more information, please visit www.firstcare.com.

SOURCE FirstCare Health Plans

Related Links

http://www.firstcare.com