Todd Macaluso, the Chief Growth Officer for Health Plans at Alignment Health, boasts a wealth of experience as a national sales leader in the healthcare industry and managed care plans. His expertise encompasses various areas, including sales leadership, Medicare, Medicaid, member acquisition and retention strategy, business planning, recruiting, marketing, sales process innovation, operations, and sales analytics. With a strong background in these fields, he brings a strategic approach to the organization. Todd holds a Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) degree with a focus on Applied Communication from San Diego State University-California State University.
Below are the highlights of the interview:
Can you share more about your career journey and how you developed your expertise in sales leadership within the healthcare and managed care plans industry?
My insurance sales career started with two years at a large national life insurance and financial services provider, where I gained a foundation in life insurance, disability, long-term care, and investments. Although I believed strongly in the strategies using these financial products, I was drawn more to learning the details of health insurance and specifically how successful health maintenance organizations in Southern California operated. I found that prospective clients were more eager to discuss their personal health care needs. I learned about and sold small group and individual health plans, and ultimately began working in Medicare with the aim of helping seniors understand their options and plan their health care into retirement. I found myself wearing multiple hats and continuing with a securities license without a singular focus or specialty.
Later, I stumbled upon an opportunity to join a regional Medicare insurance carrier, where I would recruit, train, and develop a captive agent team focused on Medicare Advantage and Medicare Supplement plans. Because of my foundation in financial services and my own experience as a new agent, I gained immediate traction by connecting with insurance sales professionals and helping them discover the opportunity to help seniors navigate the Medicare maze. I drew from my learnings on how capitated and delegated medical groups and HMO plans worked, making our sales approach specific to understanding the differences between managed care and fee-for-service Medicare. Our San Diego team grew rapidly, and I enjoyed seeing agents discover an insurance specialty that was rewarding both emotionally and financially. It was because of the positive impact our team was making on consumer lives and the success the agents were having that I was motivated to duplicate efforts and continue leading larger teams with a focus on quality and compassion.
How have your skills in Medicare, Medicaid, and member acquisition and retention strategies contributed to your success in the healthcare field?
As I was given new opportunities at a large national Medicare insurance carrier, the company that acquired the regional carrier I was working at, I learned much more about how the health plan operates. I gained experience in large markets throughout California and across multiple West Region states, including Arizona, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, and Washington, where I was able to translate the financial goals of the Medicare Advantage health plan to make a direct impact on sales and retention. How members were acquired and why they decided to stay with our plan became paramount to being aligned for smart growth for the company and our care delivery partners. I championed the concept of sales playing a key role in activating seniors in their health care. It’s much more than plan benefits and pricing. We sell the value of the Medicare Advantage organization, the access to quality care, and the guidance to live a healthier life and achieve wellness during retirement age.
How has your educational background in applied communication from San Diego State University influenced your approach to communication and leadership within the healthcare industry?
I didn’t quite realize the impact that my college studies would have on my professional and personal life. Communication theory is grounded in self-awareness and interpersonal agility. Much of my success has been centered on reading and understanding individuals as well as managing my own actions to be aligned with my goals and beliefs. I am very fortunate to have found a sales calling tied to products and services that I believe strongly in and pride in the difference we can make, one senior at a time. I think the highest form of leadership is about inspiring and developing new leaders. If leaders connect deeply with why we do what we do and demonstrate self-awareness, motivation and success come naturally.
Are there any specific experiences or mentors that have significantly shaped your career in healthcare and sales leadership?
I would not be where I am today without a number of leaders who took a chance with me. I had two very different leaders early in my financial services career who challenged me to do what was right for the client. My hiring director at a regional health plan taught me discipline and unleashed my creative potential when she knew I was ready. Multiple vice presidents at the national carrier taught me a lot about myself, helped build my confidence, and refined my strategic mindset. The chief growth officer at this national carrier inspired me to be myself, leverage my humility, and strive for results. Lastly, and in my recent career path change, I have already been challenged and rewarded by Alignment Health’s president of markets, Dawn Maroney, in many ways. I am being challenged to think differently about strategy, knowing that Alignment Health is on its own path and place, where decisions and priorities are different and more fluid. Dawn is someone I have admired for many years, and it’s rewarding to have her trust and encouragement to scale long-term national growth for our company.
What do you see as the most significant trends and challenges in the healthcare industry, particularly in the context of member acquisition and retention?
Consumers are more informed than ever before, and how they pick a Medicare plan is rapidly changing. At Alignment Health, we must continue to evolve its distribution channels to include all high-quality, compliant, and persistently effective methods of acquiring new members. Medicare Advantage and Medicare Supplement plan choices are becoming even more commoditized. I chose to come to Alignment Health because they are already doing what other Medicare health plans aspire to do: focus on the members and ground everything they do with a senior-first mindset. Our job is to help members gain access to quality whole-person care and provide financial protection for those who need it most. Gimmicks and freebees won’t last forever. There will likely be more scrutiny over frivolous Medicare plan marketing techniques as well as significant challenges for plans that offer unsustainable benefits. The Medicare health plans that put the members’ care at the center of everything they do will succeed. Our focus is to continue Alignment Health’s mission to truly differentiate ourselves in the industry.
