Leonard D. Schaeffer

Leonard D. Schaeffer is an American health care executive, academic, and former government official. He served as Administrator of the Health Care Financing Administration (HCFA), now the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), from November 1978 to June 1980 during the administration of President Jimmy Carter. After leaving government, he became chief executive of Blue Cross of California and later chairman and chief executive officer of WellPoint Health Networks. He is the Judge Robert Maclay Widney Chair at the University of Southern California and founded the USC Schaeffer Center for Health Policy & Economics.

Career

Before joining the federal government, Schaeffer held several positions in Illinois state government, including Director of the Bureau of the Budget and Chairman of the Illinois Capital Development Board. During the Carter administration, he served as Assistant Secretary for Management and Budget at the United States Department of Health, Education, and Welfare.

After leaving HCFA in 1980, Schaeffer became president of Group Health Inc. In 1986, he joined Blue Cross of California as chairman and chief executive officer. He later became chairman and chief executive officer of WellPoint Health Networks, serving as chief executive until 2004 and as chairman until 2005.