CHOICE Administrators today announced a new leader for its organization, which operates the California Choice private health insurance exchange and the Choice Builder ancillary benefits exchange, which together serve more than 450,000 members.
Michael Close, currently the Chief Operating Officer at The Word & Brown Companies, has been appointed President and Chief Executive Officer of CHOICE Administrators effective May 20, 2019.
Close joined the Word & Brown organization in October 2003, as the Chief Sales & Marketing Officer at CONEXIS, a COBRA and Flexible Spending Accounts administrator. He became president in March 2005, and served in that role until the sale of CONEXIS to WageWorks in 2014. He also served previously as president of Quotit Corporation and Health CompareInsurance Services. Michael’s professional experience before joining The Word & Brown Companies includes executive roles at Health Net and American Specialty Health.
Michael Close will replace Ron Goldstein, who is leaving CHOICE Administrators to pursue other opportunities in the health insurance space. “We thank Ron Goldstein for his dedication and his significant contributions to the success of CHOICE Administrators,” said Word & Brown co-founder John Word. “He has been a valuable member of our senior executive team for nearly 30 years, and we wish him the very best in his new venture,” added co-founder Rusty Brown.