Doug Benzine to Replace Paul Meyer as VP of Finance and Operations at The Alliance

MADISON, WI (May 4, 2022) ─ The Alliance is welcoming Doug Benzine to replace their retiring chief operating officer, Paul Meyer, effective June 1st.

Benzine has 30 years’ experience in business finance and organizational operations, including VP of Operations at WPS Health Solutions and most recently, as AVP of Branch Operations for Fairway Independent Mortgage Corporation. As a graduate of UW-Madison’s school of business, Benzine has lived, worked, and served the Madison area for much of his career.

Benzine was promoted to Vice President of Credit Union National Association in 2000, where he remained for 15 years before moving to health care. At WPS, he orchestrated the expansion of the fastest-growing, most profitable division of the organization from 275 employees to more than 800 across four locations. Benzine led the group to manage the largest federal health claims administration contract for Veterans Affairs in the nation with a $95 million budget that processed 18 million medical claims per year.

“The Alliance is a known entity throughout the Midwest and has been proactive in moving health care forward for its employer-members,” said Benzine. “I have significant experience within health care insurance and benefit administration, and I’m looking forward to the opportunity to create positive change in health care – and to be a part of that change nationwide.”

Benzine will be replacing Paul Meyer, who has served The Alliance for nearly three decades, including as the organization’s treasurer on its Board of Directors. Under Meyer’s leadership, The Alliance honed its operational capabilities and now provides its services to other employer coalitions around the country. Meyer worked with the Board and staff to ensure the financial strength of the cooperative through times of significant uncertainty including the Great Recession of 2008 and the COVID pandemic.

Meyer also served on the Board of Directors for National CooperativeRx, where he held the role of Board Chair for 9 years. Paul also lent his leadership skills to the Boards of numerous other health care and community organizations including the Wisconsin Statewide Health Information Network (WISHIN), the Wisconsin Health Information Organization (WHIO), Catholic Charities and ElderCare.

“It has been my honor to work at The Alliance and fight the good fight to help our employers, their employees, and their loved one’s get access to high-value health care,” Meyer said. “I’m proud of my contributions, which would not have been possible without the strong team around me, including The Alliance, our organization’s partners, and my family. The Alliance has a bright future – especially with the addition of Doug – who is poised to make significant contributions that will continue our strong record of success.”

The Alliance serves as the voice for self-funded employers who want more control over their health care costs. They provide transparent, creative approaches to network and benefit plan design to unlock savings where others can’t – or won’t – using Smarter Networks℠ and sophisticated data mining and analysis. The Alliance remains a trusted, objective partner for its 300+ employers and their brokers who seek improved access to high-quality health care through a network of 34,000 health care providers and doctors across the Midwest.

To learn more about The Alliance, visit: https://the-alliance.org/

Photo: Paul Meyer (right) welcomes Doug Benzine to The Alliance