Larry Boress is President & CEO of the Midwest Business Group on Health,. He joined the coalition in 1991 and became its president in 2006. Founded in 1980, the Chicago-based MBGH is composed of over 130 self-funded, large, public and private multi-state organizations providing health benefit for over 4 million covered lives. MBGH focuses on enhancing the value of health benefits, increasing the productivity and health of covered populations and enhancing the safety, cost and quality of local health care marketplaces. Prior to MBGH, he spent 17 years at the Illinois State Medical Society.
Today, Mr. Boress advocates for the “Purchaser” perspective of health care. He assists employers in their health benefit designs, worksite wellness and incentive programs. He leads MBGH’s community initiatives, including the Leapfrog Group’s patient safety activities in Illinois, efforts to reduce early elective deliveries and promoting the Choosing Wisely initiative to reduce unnecessary medical care.
He oversees MBGH’s group purchasing and health benefit services activities, providing information, fee negotiation and performance reviews for employers on health plans, condition management services, pharmacy benefits, transparency services and private exchange strategies, being a co-founder of the Private Exchange Evaluation Collaborative (PEEC), an entity offering unbiased, objective information, advice and services on private health insurance exchanges.
He also serves as Executive Director of the National Association of Worksite Health Centers, an affiliate of MBGH, dedicated to expanding the knowledge and capabilities of employer-sponsors of onsite health, pharmacy, fitness and wellness centers.