Howard A. Kahn

Howard A. Kahn is Chief Executive Officer of L.A. Care Health Plan, a position he has held since 2001. L.A. Care is a community-accountable health plan serving low-income residents of Los Angeles County through a variety of health programs for low-income families. With nearly 800,000 enrolled members, L.A. Care is the largest public health plan in the United States. L.A. Care is a leader in developing new programs through innovative coalitions and partnerships designed to support public health, the health care safety net, and health coverage for vulnerable populations. As CEO of L.A. Care, Mr. Kahn has actively led efforts by L.A. Care to reinvest nearly $80 million to improving community health, with a special emphasis on strengthening the safety net in Los Angeles County.
Mr. Kahn has been recognized extensively for his work on children’s health coverage. He is a key architect of the Children’s Health Initiative of Greater Los Angeles (CHI), a coalition of over 50 diverse community organizations dedicated to providing health insurance for every low-income child in Los Angeles County. Under his leadership, CHI launched Healthy Kids for children 0-5 years old in 2003 and expanded the program in 2004 to include children 6-18 years old. CHI has successfully raised more than $120 million and it has provided health coverage to nearly 60,000 children.
Mr. Kahn has more than 25 years of experience in health care, leading for-profit and non-profit organizations, with an emphasis on serving diverse and vulnerable populations. He served as Senior Vice President for Latin America and Global Health at CIGNA International, where he was responsible for the overall management of CIGNA’s businesses in the region and global health strategy. Mr. Kahn has also served in several capacities at Aetna, notably as a Vice President responsible for the company’s global health business, and as Vice President for Aetna’s nationwide governmental managed care and managed health operations.

Mr. Kahn was Founding President and Chief Executive Officer of The California Wellness Foundation, a $1 billion foundation dedicated to promoting health and preventing disease in underserved communities. He was also the Founding Chief Executive Officer of the Health Plan of San Mateo, a public non-profit HMO.
He is Chair of the California Association of Health Plans and is on the boards of Association of Community Affiliated Health Plans, The Good Hope Foundation, Insure the Uninsured Project, Latino Coalition for a Healthy California, Local Health Plans of California and the School of Community & Global Health at the Claremont Graduate School. Most recently, Howard was appointed by Governor Schwarzenegger to the California Mental Health Oversight and Accountability (Prop. 63) Commission.

Mr. Kahn pursued undergraduate studies at Harvard, and received his bachelor’s degree in Development Studies from the University of California, Berkeley. He also holds a master’s degree in Public Affairs from the Humphrey Institute at the University of Minnesota.