Cheryl Larson is the President and chief executive officer of the Midwest Business Group on Health (MBGH), a non-profit organization of over 130 mid to jumbo, self-funded, regional and multi-state, public and private employers. Coalition activities include educational programs, health benefits research, bench-marking and community-based initiatives focused on increasing the value of health benefits and health care services to MBGH Members – represented by human resources, health benefits and health care professionals.
Larson oversees all coalition activities including advocacy, membership, administration, research projects and educational activities, working closely with MBGH’s employer-led Board of Directors to establish the strategic direction of the coalition. Larson joined MBGH in 1983 as the director of membership development, returning in 2006 as vice president, after spending 10 years with a population health management company.
Larson leads MBGH’s National Employer Initiative on Specialty Drugs, the first major purchaser-driven research project that supports employers in managing the higher costs of biologic and specialty drugs by helping them make critical and informed decisions. She is a nationally-recognized speaker on employer best practices in managing specialty drugs, value-based benefit design, wellness, well-being, consumerism, engagement and benefit communications. Larson currently serves on multiple boards and committees representing the purchaser perspective, including the Task Force on Low-Value Care for VBID (Value-Based Insurance Design) Health and the Oncology Medical Home Steering Committee for the Community Oncology Alliance.
