Following a national search, the Governing Committee of the UAW Retiree Medical Benefits Trust announced the appointment of Jessica Gubing as CEO, effective June 4.
Gubing is president and founder of The Cortex Group, a health care and benefits consulting firm, and a former General Motors Co. director of U.S. retirement, profit sharing, and benefits labor strategy.
She succeeds Garon Meikle who has served as interim CEO for the past year. Meikle will transition to his previous role as CFO.
“Jessica is a collaborative customer-driven leader whose values and diverse career experience make her the right fit for the trust,” says Bob Naftaly, chair of the trust’s Governing Committee. “Over the course of her career, Jessica has earned the respect of those with whom she has negotiated including the UAW, an attribute that will serve the Trust and its members well. She is an innovator. Her interest in population health and using data to drive health care quality aligns with the mission of the Trust to provide access to quality health care for our retirees at every stage of life.”
Shawn Fain, UAW President and member of the trust Governing Committee, says, “On behalf of the nearly 1 million active and retired members of the UAW, we look forward to working with Jessica on continuing to deliver for our UAW retirees.”
Gubing says, “I feel my career, my health care background, automotive experience, and strong UAW relationships built over time have pinnacled in this new role. I am excited to join the trust, to work with its team. My goal is to provide the highest quality health care for retirees responsibly within the trust’s fiscal means. It’s a privilege and I am ready to serve the UAW retirees and their families.”
At The Cortex Group, Gubing worked with clients from health care systems to manufacturers serving in various capacities including as an interim executive and senior human resource and benefits advisor.
During her 12-year career with GM, Gubing was lead negotiator for all U.S. benefits with union partners among other responsibilities. When responsible for population health and prescription drugs, her team executed a reinsurance submission process resulting in obtaining $31 million from available, external funds, which were then used to reduce retirees’ monthly premiums.
As manager of self-insured health care plans, Gubing was part of the UAW health care negotiations preparation team resulting ultimately in the automaker’s participation in the UAW Retiree Medical Benefits Trust.
Gubing spent her early career with Health Alliance Plan (HAP) where she specialized in population health and managed corporate quality initiatives including chronic disease management.
She holds a Master of Science in Evaluative Clinical Sciences from Dartmouth College and a Bachelor of Science in Biology from Bucknell University. She is a current member of the National Association for Healthcare Quality.
