CEO Today Healthcare Awards

www.ceotodaymagazine.com CEO Today Healthcare Awards 2019 JESSICA WORD The Word & Brown General Agency In the early 1980s, John M. Word III and Edward “Rusty” Brown, Jr. developed the technology for a revolutionary new group health insurance quoting engine that quickly attracted thousands of employee benefits brokers and their clients. They formed Word & Brown General Agency (formally known as Word & Brown Insurance Administrators, Inc.) in 1985, and in less than two years became the largest independent small group health distributor in the nation. Building their business on the concept that a handshake was their word, John and Rusty were honored with the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award in 2001. A history of innovation followed and led to the creation of The Word & Brown Companies, which continue to revolutionize the health insurance industry with groundbreaking services and products. Today, The Word & Brown Companies are recognized as the nation’s leader in providing innovations that simplify and streamline an employer’s health care programs through three businesses. They are CHOICE Administrators , parent of the CaliforniaChoice multi-carrier private health insurance exchange and Choice Builder ancillary benefits exchange; the California Rx Card , a prescription drug discount program offering savings of up to 80% at more than 68,000 pharmacies nationwide; and Word & Brown General Agency , a wholesale insurance agency that works with licensed brokers to market and distribute health insurance and other products throughout California and Nevada. Leading the Word & Brown General Agency, the largest of The Word & Brown Companies, is Jessica Word. Jessica grew up in the insurance business as the daughter of Word & Brown co-founder John Word. She recalls fondly working for the company from a very young age and having the opportunity to learn the business from the inside out. Working across the organization, she gained exposure to different facets of the industry and company, which helped her identify where she could make a significant, positive impact. Now at the forefront of Word & Brown, Jessica’s experience and leadership have allowed her to grow through the ranks. She became the first woman to lead Word & Brown in 2013. Jessica represents a new breed of insurance leaders, who understand and market to millennials, while supporting well-established benefits channels. Jessica and her executive team have pioneered digital approaches that are making the industry more relevant to a new generation of employers and employees. 18 USA