Joseph Swedish: WellPoint CEO

Joseph Swedish earned a Bachelor’s of Science degree from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte in 1973.  He also obtained a Master’s Degree in Health Administration from Duke University in 1979.  Joseph has over 40 years of wide ranging healthcare leadership experience which he has brought to WellPoint. This includes 24 years as the CEO of major health and hospital systems.

From March 1994 to January 1999 Joseph served as President and CEO of the East Florida Division of Columbia and Central Florida Division at HCA Healthcare Corporation (Hospital Corporation of America). He has been the President and CEO of Centura Health, Inc. from January 1999 to January 2005. Upon joining Centura Joseph concentrated his effort on ensuring the financial stability and service excellence of its core operations.

Before leading WellPoint Joseph served as President and CEO of Trinity Health Corporation, an integrated health care delivery system operation doing business in multiple states. At Trinity, he accelerated financial and operational performance. Under his leadership revenue grew from less than $6 billion in 2005 to around $9 billion in 2012. Operating margins also doubled resulting in Trinity becoming the fourth largest Catholic healthcare system in the country.  

Joseph in 2012 negotiated and initiated the merger of Trinity Health and Catholic Health East which now represents the country’s second largest non-profit health care system.

In March 2013, Joseph was appointed CEO of WellPoint. He was named President by the Board of Directors in May 2014. Joseph upon assuming leadership immediately focused on refining the company’s strategic direction and positioning WellPoint for long term success. He improved operations by aligning the firm’s organizational structure around two primary operating segments, namely: the Commercial Business Division and the Government Business Division. Under Joseph’s stewardship the firm completed successful integration with Amerigroup, launched over 1,000 products in 14 states in support of the health insurance exchange marketplace and the stocks of WellPoint achieved an all-time high.

WellPoint is one of the country’s largest health benefit firms serving 37 million Americans and had operating revenue of $70 billion in 2013.