Name: James “J.P.” Holland
Previous title: President and CEO of Johns Hopkins Health Plans
New title: Senior vice president and president of Medicaid
Holland is joining Humana effective Aug. 17 as the head of its Medicaid business — a key growth area for the Kentucky-based insurer.
Humana enrolls the majority of its almost 18 million members in Medicare plans, but has been steadily adding lives in the safety-net insurance program. The company’s Medicaid division has grown to more than 1.6 million members in 11 states.
Holland’s appointment is part of the insurance leadership transition Humana outlined last year, when then-president of its insurance division, George Renaudin, announced his retirement. Former Amazon executive Aaron Martin was brought on to succeed Renaudin, and John Barger, Humana’s Medicaid president, was promoted to president of Medicare Advantage. Holland is stepping into Barger’s former role.
Holland was most recently chief executive of Johns Hopkins’ health insurance division. Prior to joining the Baltimore-based academic medical system in 2019, the executive led Elevance’s joint ventures with providers in Medicaid and Medicare, a managed care effort called Alliance Business.
Holland has also held leadership roles at Amerigroup, now an Elevance subsidiary named Wellpoint, and WellCare Health Plans, now a subsidiary of Centene.
He will report to Martin in his new role.
“Medicaid is an important part of how we deliver on Humana’s purpose, helping some of the most vulnerable populations access the care and support they need to achieve their best health,” Martin said in a statement Monday, touting Holland’s “deep expertise” in government-sponsored programs and working with states.
“His experiences and insights will be invaluable as we continue to grow our Medicaid business and better serve our Medicaid members,” Martin said.
Humana has notched recent wins as it works to expand in Medicaid, including a new contract in Illinois that should go live in 2027 and the extension of its contract in Florida, Humana’s largest Medicaid state.
The company has also made broader progress on resuscitating insurance margins after unexpectedly elevated medical spending ate into profits over the past few years.
