Tadd Haynes

Photo by John Sibold

By Samantha Cart

“Your path is never going to be perfectly linear, but you should be able to glean something from every one of your experiences that helps you get to the next.”

These are words of experience from Tadd Haynes, president of UniCare Health Plan of West Virginia, Inc. After graduating from the University of Charles­ton with a bachelor’s degree in psychology and receiving a Master of Public Health (MPH) degree from West Virginia University, he bounced between working in behavioral health and logistics/warehousing as opposed to strategically thinking about where he wanted to go professionally and how to get there.

“I didn’t really understand what my career path should or could look like or how one step could build toward another,” he recalls.

Haynes’ winding road came to a head in 2005 when he started working for UniCare as an outreach specialist.

“We were a small team of eight people at the time, and it was a blessing in that I was exposed to many aspects of the business out of sheer necessity,” Haynes says. “I quickly learned about working with providers, contracting, operations, compliance, government relations, health promotion and quality improvement because we all had to chip in to be successful. It was during this time I went back to school to get my MPH and took an interest in health care policy, especially how those policies impact vulnerable populations. As the organization grew, I had the opportunity to take on a variety of roles and increase my responsibility. Looking back, it was a great way to learn the business and prepare for the role I have today.”

Haynes was named president of UniCare in 2018. Today, he is responsible for all operational and financial aspects of the company, which serves the Medicaid and CHIP populations throughout the state, as well as setting the strategic direction and ensuring members, providers and state partners have what they need.

One of the things Haynes enjoys most about his work is the ability to drive necessary conversations and provide leadership around social drivers of health and community needs.

“When you step back and think about it, the core aspects of what we do are kind of boring,” he muses. “We build a network of providers, we pay claims and we stay compliant with our regulators. However, over the past 20 years, we’ve gotten really good at the basics, which allows us to do the fun stuff. We do a lot in the community providing funding and building programs to address food insecurity and workforce development as well as addressing emergency needs. We are working with organizations in different parts of the state to provide virtual reality glasses so at-risk students can use job simulation software to experience what it is like to be an electrician or a plumber. Having a team that is not only working with members to make sure they have annual wellness checkups but also making sure they have stable housing and a pathway to post-secondary education is what makes me excited to come to work every day. We are in a unique position to see the specific needs of our members and a macro-level view of the health care delivery system and community support systems, and we can help bring them all together. I take that responsibility very seriously.”

Over the past five years, Haynes has learned that he doesn’t have to have all the answers, but by being surrounded by people who truly care, he can find the answers he needs—and he finds those people in his home state of West Virginia.

“I grew up in Sissonville. I left shortly after graduating college to work in Chicago. When I came back, I vowed I’d never leave again, as long as I could provide for my family. I have been blessed to be able to do that here. I unapologetically love West Virginia,” he says.

Haynes shows his dedication to his family and community by volunteering as chairman of the West Virginia Association of Health Plans and as a member of the West Virginia State University Board of Visitors, Child Evangelism Fellowship local committee and River Ridge Children’s Ministries. While he is accomplished, he believes there is much left to do.

“West Virginia has a high rate of first-generation college attendance. We are facing critical health care workforce shortages now and for the foreseeable future. We have thousands of children dealing with adverse childhood experiences. We are still working through the aftermath of the opioid epidemic. We have to find solutions to these issues, and my hope is that I can continue to be part of those conversations,” he says.