CareSource CEO talks about future of company that employs thousands

Sep. 27--The new CEO of CareSource has brought new talent and a casual flair to the corporate culture of the Dayton-based insurance company.

Erhardt Preitauer has been on the job since May 2018 as the second chief executive to lead CareSource, which grew over the last 30 years from a Dayton experiment in Medicaid management to a 2-million member insurer with a presence in five states.

Preitauer recently sat down with the Dayton Daily News to discuss how he is keeping the nonprofit focused during a time of significant growth and change in health care insurance.

CareSource is up to 3,000 employees in Dayton, making it one of the city's largest employers. It just built a second downtown office building. It manages half of the Ohio Medicaid plans and is growing into new areas like mental health and veterans care.

At the same time, the company has to once again win its bid to manage plans for the Ohio Department of Medicaid, which is the company's main business line. Pharmacy benefits have been overhauled following a year of controversy. And presidential candidates are moving universal health care from fringe idea to earnest proposal.

Preitauer said the company is well positioned to navigate whatever comes its way.

"There's no other platform in the country, I think, that is as solid and well positioned as CareSource," he said.

Jeff Hoagland, CEO of the Dayton Development Coalition, said he's impressed by the leadership team Preitauer has recruited from outside Ohio.

"He's bringing in top talent and they're not telecommuting. He wants them all to live in the Dayton region and they're moving into town and they are getting engaged in the community. To me, I think that's a great form of leadership he's showing," Hoagland said.

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