5 benefits news bites: Medica, Aflac and more

John Naylor will be the new president and chief executive officer of Medica Health Plans.

Naylor is taking the reins from David Tilford, who is retiring after 16 years as the chief executive, the Minnetonka, Minnesota-based company said Thursday.

Medica is a nonprofit health insurer that started out as a physician-run health plan in 1975. In 1994, Medica became part of Allina Health, a Minneapolis-based hospital and clinic operator. Allina split Medica off in 2001.

Tilford has been Medica's leader since the company split off from Allina.

In 2001, Medica was serving enrollees in Minnesota and part of Wisconsin. Under Tilford's leadership, Medica expanded into Iowa, Kansas, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota and Wisconsin, the company said.

Naylor, the new company leader, has degrees in actuarial science and accounting from Drake University.

Naylor once ran the Minneapolis office of an actuarial consulting firm that's now part of London-based Willis Towers Watson PLC. He joined Medica in 2010.

Naylor developed accountable care organization programs for several health care systems, the company said.

In other benefits community news:

Aflac Inc., a Columbus, Georgia-based company, has decided to use a distribution management system from Coconut Creek, Florida-based VUE Software.

VUE's deal

VUE, which is officially named Computer Solutions & Software International L.L.C., said Aflac will use the VUE system to put the administrative and distribution processes for its individual and group programs on a single platform. Jeff Arrington, an Aflac executive quoted in an announcement about the deal, said Aflac likes VUE's financial strength, and the fact that VUE built its system specifically for the insurance industry.

Humana Inc., a Louisville, Kentucky-based company, is offering a new wellness program, the Go365 program, to employers. The program gives group health plan enrollees incentives to take steps such as running in a 5-kilometer race. Humana said the health claims of Humana employees engaged in a pilot version of the program fell 10 percent, while the claims of other, unengaged employees rose 17 percent.

Hub International Ltd., a Chicago-based company, has acquired the assets of Hubbard-Bert Inc. of Erie, Pennsylvania, for a price that was not disclosed. Hubbard-Bert sells employee benefits. David Ciacchini, Joe Kelly and Mark Salvia, the leaders of Hubbard-Bert, will go to work for a Hub unit, The HDH Group Inc., and report to Tony Krocis, the president of that unit, according to Hub. Hubbard-Bert has been offering health plan administration services, health account administration services, dental products, vision products, wealth management services, pension services and Affordable Care Act reporting services as well as group health coverage, Hub said.

Lockton Companies, a Kansas City, Missouri-based company, has hired Krista Henry to be a vice president and benefits client services executive in its Denver office. She will be part of the health and welfare practice. She previously has worked in Denver-area offices at Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. and Aetna Inc.

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