The L.A. Trust to honor John Baackes with Visionary Award at Salute to Student Health Gala
John Baackes
Chief Executive Officer of
L.A. Care Health Plan
The Los Angeles Trust for Children’s Health will proudly present its Visionary Award to John Baackes, Chief Executive Officer of L.A. Care Health Plan, on September 19 at the Salute to Student Health event at Vibiana in downtown Los Angeles. This gala will gather members of The L.A. Trust community, including educators, healthcare providers, and donors. Registration for the event will open in August.
John Baackes is the CEO of L.A. Care Health Plan, the nation's largest publicly operated health plan. With more than 40 years of healthcare experience, Mr. Baackes works collaboratively with the Board of Governors to set the organization's strategic vision and ensure its successful implementation. He oversees day-to-day operations, guiding L.A. Care through the ever-evolving healthcare landscape, and is responsible for maintaining the integrity, quality, and accountability of the health services L.A. Care provides to its members.
Under Mr. Baackes’ leadership, L.A. Care has secured its position as a national leader in promoting equitable healthcare for low-income patients and serving as a catalyst for community transformation. His commitment to L.A. Care, its members, provider partners, employees, and the broader Los Angeles community is reflected in the organization’s exponential growth and expansion of services over the past decade. Significant initiatives under his guidance include expanding L.A. Care’s directly contracted network of physicians, establishing a grading and incentivization system for quality care, and expanding from four to fourteen L.A. Care/Blue Shield Promise Community Resource Centers throughout Los Angeles County. At his urging, L.A. Care also launched the $205 million Elevating the Safety Net initiative to address a growing physician shortage, especially in communities of color. The initiative provides grants for safety net clinics and practices to recruit new physicians into safety net clinics and practices. It also provides medical school loan repayment grants to new physicians who have committed to work in the safety net for up to five years. And the initiative includes a full-ride scholarship program for medical school students who have expressed a desire to practice in underserved communities.
John Baackes, Chief Executive Officer of L.A. Care Health Plan
Maryjane Puffer, Executive Director of The L.A. Trust, remarked, “John Baackes exemplifies the spirit of our Visionary Award through his unwavering dedication to improving healthcare access and quality for the most vulnerable populations in our community. His leadership has been instrumental in transforming the healthcare landscape in Los Angeles and beyond.”
Before joining L.A. Care in 2015, Mr. Baackes served as President of Philadelphia-based AmeriHealth Caritas VIP Plans, where he oversaw the Medicare Advantage business unit. He was also CEO of Senior Whole Health in Cambridge, MA, a healthcare plan serving more than 10,000 low-income seniors in Massachusetts and New York. His extensive career includes executive leadership roles such as Senior Vice President for Group Health Incorporated in Albany, NY; President of Kaiser Permanente's Northeast Division; and CEO of Community Health Plan in Latham, NY.
Mr. Baackes holds a bachelor's degree from Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, and is a native of Evanston, IL. He currently serves on the boards of America's Health Insurance Plans (AHIP), California Association of Health Plans (CAHP), Local Health Plans of California (LHPC), Project Angel Food, Urban Voices Project, and Charles Drew University.
John Baackes, who has led L.A. Care for the past nine years, recently announced his retirement. His visionary leadership and relentless commitment to healthcare equity have made a lasting impact on our community. We are honored to celebrate his remarkable contributions at our Salute to Student Health gala.