Keith Epperson, Senior Advisor, Actuary
Keith Epperson and numbers have always gone hand in hand. He discovered this aptitude as a child. What he didn’t know was how passionate he would become about applying numbers to healthcare. As our Senior Actuarial Advisor, he brings nearly 40 years of non-traditional actuarial expertise to inform and guide our clients to make better business decisions.
It all began when Keith entered the actuarial program at Mutual of Omaha after graduating from college. He spent five years learning on the job and earning his credentials. He then transitioned to Chief Medical Actuary at American Republic, where he spent fifteen years mastering the nuances of pricing, insurance, and product development.
“We had shared terminals at my first job. Then I was loading tapes of data at my next job. And by taking that data and thinking non-traditionally, I started discovering utilization or pricing patterns and bringing these to the table to help others understand.”
From there, Keith continued to serve in various Chief Actuary roles across both large national players and innovative startups. His long list of accomplishments spans from launching United Healthcare’s individual market and improving its medical underwriting program in the small group marketplace to building Bright Health’s ACA strategy and modeling efforts, risk adjustment and value-based contracting analysis from scratch. It was at Bright where Keith met and worked closely with Kristin A. Kelly.
Keith transitioned to contract work and even started his own firm called Walnut Grove Consulting. When he learned that Kristin was launching one, too, he recalls, “I was in. Kristin is the kind of leader I want to work with.”
As a Senior Advisor, Keith provides high-level strategic oversight and peer review for providers and insurers. He is motivated by helping clients solve their toughest challenges, whether that’s improving solvency issues or meeting a rapidly approaching filing deadline. “When our clients get across the finish line, everybody wins.”
Keith loves being part of the Voyageur Health Advisory team because “it’s an all-hands on deck culture where everyone plays off of one another’s strengths. We’re all respectful and continuously learning.”
Keith is the proud father of three and grandfather of five. He loves all things sports, including watching his grandkids play, collecting cards, and competing in multiple bowling leagues. Keith has been a Minneapolis resident for over 20 years, but loves spending summers at his lake home in his home state of Iowa.
When thinking about his healthcare experience, Keith explains, “Patient access to care is still not what it should be. But I’ve always believed that we could improve that experience and that’s what I’m working towards every single day.”
Want to learn more about how Keith can leverage data and his nuanced understanding of healthcare systems and strategies to help your company make better decisions? Send us a message – we’d love to hear from you!