NEW YORK, Sept. 7, 2006 (PRIMEZONE) -- Aveta Inc., one of the largest companies focusing on Medicare Advantage and a leader in addressing the healthcare needs of the chronically ill, has announced the appointments of Jonathan Rich as Senior Vice President and General Counsel and Greg Kuzma as Senior Vice President for Strategic Actuarial Services. The appointments of the two managed care industry veterans further strengthen Aveta's seasoned senior management team.
Mr. Rich will serve as the company's in-house legal counsel. Mr. Kuzma will join Aveta's actuarial team as head of Strategic Actuarial Services with a focus on operational analytics, a cornerstone of the community medical management approach used in Aveta's growing Medicare Advantage businesses.
"Jonathan Rich and Greg Kuzma add further depth to Aveta's management team and bring with them a wealth of experience from successful health plan operations," said Mr. Daniel E. Straus, Chief Executive Officer of Aveta.
Mr. Rich has more than 18 years of experience representing insurance and healthcare companies. Before joining Aveta, he was Senior Vice President and General Counsel of Oxford Health Plans and UnitedHealthcare NE, with responsibility for a region generating approximately $7 billion in revenues. Previously, he was a director and then VP of Legal Affairs and Litigation for Oxford Health Plans, and was part of the new management team that led the Oxford restructuring and turnaround that began in 1998. Prior to that, Mr. Rich clerked for the federal district court of the Eastern District of New York, and was an associate at the New York office of Simpson Thacher & Bartlett, where he specialized in insurance, antitrust law, and securities and M&A litigation. Mr. Rich holds a law degree from Columbia University, where he was a Stone Scholar and served on the Law Review.
Mr. Kuzma has over 15 years of managed care experience as an actuarial and financial executive. Prior to joining Aveta, Mr. Kuzma was a partner and Executive Vice President at a private management consulting firm and served as the acting Chief Actuary for Geisinger Health Plans. Prior to that, Mr. Kuzma spent eight years with Oxford Health Plans, rising to the position of VP, Healthcare Economics. He created the healthcare economics function during Oxford's restructuring and turnaround and was integrally involved in the sale and integration of Oxford Health Plans into UnitedHealthcare. After a brief stint as a professional baseball pitcher in the Texas Rangers organization, Mr. Kuzma began his business career with The Prudential Insurance Company of America in their actuarial executive development program. Mr. Kuzma holds a B.S.E. in Electrical Engineering from Princeton University and is a Fellow of the Society of Actuaries.
About Aveta Inc.
Aveta is one of the largest companies focusing on Medicare Advantage and a leader in addressing the unique healthcare needs of the chronically ill. Caring for over 220,000 Medicare beneficiaries, Aveta is the 3rd largest for-profit Medicare Advantage enterprise, and operates more Chronic Special Needs Plans (SNPs) than any other company. Aveta has a successful track record of managing care for seniors achieved through its core competency of community medical management. Aveta is headquartered in Fort Lee, New Jersey and currently has operating subsidiaries in Southern California, Puerto Rico, and Illinois.