Ron Williams

“I have seen the healthcare system from many angles, including as a patient.”

“We are a wealthy country. We also are the global engine of innovation in health care, whether it's the pharmaceutical industry or the creation of medical devices.”

“There are several problems with the ACA's reliance on means-based inclusion criteria and mandatory participation in exchanges - the complexity of the exchange mechanism, and the potential for income-based subsidies to become a disincentive to earn if insurance rates escalate for those beyond the income threshold.”

“We know a culture doesn't just happen; it is the result of what you do every day.”

“It's difficult to compete against a player that's also refereeing the game.”

“As a CEO, I had significant exposure to private equity, enough that I had in no way bought into the media's caricature: rapacious privateers who destroy companies.”

“We confuse insurance with our moral obligation to provide health-care services to people. And what we try to do is finance our moral obligation through the insurance system, which punishes the people who are fiscally responsible to buy insurance.”

“A positive, high-performance culture can quickly turn negative if the CEO is not rigorous in constantly articulating values and holding people accountable for both results and values.”

“King v. Burwell pointed at but did not directly challenge the ACA's most essential weakness: Government-mandated participation in health insurance exchanges as a precondition to receiving a subsidy is not the best or most effective means of achieving its goal of expanded access to health coverage.”

“I am not a lawyer or an expert on the Constitution. But as the chairman and CEO of a major health plan, I had a ringside seat to the entire health-care reform process.”

“I think if we're going to have a requirement that everyone have equal access to insurance, you really have to have a way to make certain that everyone is expected to participate.”

“One person uninsured is one person too many.”

“Championing quality improvement and value in the health care system is a passion of mine, and I'm able to bring about change through private equity activities.”

“As CEO of Aetna, I was a buyer of portfolio companies rather than a participant in the value creation process. From the end of the assembly line, what happened in manufacturing wasn't visible to me.”

“In my career, there have been many things I am fortunate enough to be proud of. Yet one of the things I feel most strongly about is the culture we created during the ten years I was at Aetna, and its enduring impact.”

“Every institution is perfectly capable of forgetting what it has learned in three years.”

“We have a moral obligation to get healthcare to people who need it.”

“Many who know me or have worked for me are aware of my penchant for strategic planning. I consider it a critical component of the success of any organization and believe in the value of planning for a company's needs over multiple time horizons, as well as reviews against that plan at regular intervals.”

“Deliver bad news early and personally.”

“For insurance solvency, ongoing plan participation is vital.”