Laura Rich tabbed to lead Nevada public employee health insurance program

The Public Employees Benefits Program has decided to name Laura Rich, the current PEBP operations officer, to replace Damon Haycock as executive director of the state employee health insurance program.

Haycock resigned the post in November saying he was returning to the private sector.

Rich has been operations officer at PEBP for almost five years. In that position, she directed operations including eligibility, enrollment, IT, member services and human resources.

Before that, she was project manager at the Silver State Health Insurance Exchange for more than two years and prior to that, Medicaid quality assurance manager for the state’s Human Services Department.

She holds a master in business administration degree and is a certified public manager.

The job pays $119,500 a year.

The board’s decision is subject to the approval of Gov. Steve Sisolak.

PEBP provides health insurance coverage for more than 26,000 state workers and their dependents for a total of some 70,000 people. The program’s total budget for the biennium is about $1.67 billion counting state funding and employee contributions.