Essence has been offering affordable, highly rated Medicare Advantage plans to Medicare beneficiaries since 2003. We’re proud to offer innovative Medicare Advantage plans designed to provide members with comprehensive benefits and access to the area’s leading doctors and hospitals.
Add Essence Healthcare to Your Portfolio
As a long-standing leader in healthcare, Essence is committed to the health and well-being of the Medicare community. Our plans combine generous hospital, medical and prescription drug coverage with valuable extra benefits.
We consistently receive top marks for:
Helping members stay healthy and manage chronic conditions
Customer service
Member experience
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Weā€™re looking for producers who share our goals and values.
We want to form partnerships with producers that share our passion for delivering a better healthcare experience to local Medicare beneficiaries. We’re looking for people who understand the trusted role they play in helping older adults with their Medicare choices. If you share these goals and values, we want to establish a long-term business relationship with you so we can grow and succeed together.
Erin brings over a decade of public accounting experience to Essence Healthcare, with nine years focused on the insurance industry serving life, health, property/casualty insurers, captive insurers and reinsurers. She has served companies in all aspects of audit service delivery and related audit and financial reporting matters, including coordination and execution of financial statement audits, review and supervision of staff accountants, and documentation and testing of business processes and internal controls. In her role at Essence, Erin provides strategic vision and oversight to the compliance and internal audit functions of the company. A native of Columbia, Missouri, Erin and her family enjoy all things Mizzou sports.
Joel Andersen
Joel is a seasoned executive with over 22 years of experience in the healthcare industry. Prior to his current role at Essence Healthcare, he was a founder and chief marketing officer for Essence’s sister company, Lumeris, and also served as president of the company’s EHR software division (ClearPractice). Before joining the Essence family of companies in 2006, he served as vice president of marketing for e-MDs and held a variety of management positions at several healthcare technology companies, including Trizetto, Nightingale and Mariner Systems. When not at work trying to come up with “the next big idea,”¯ he enjoys spending time with his wife and son, writing, playing golf or cheering on his favorite sports team, the St. Louis Blues.
Debbie Zimmerman, MD
Dr. Zimmerman has a distinguished history of medical leadership at health plans such as CIGNA, Group Health Plan and Health Partners of the Midwest. Before joining Essence Healthcare, she served as chief medical officer of Mercy Health Plans, a provider–sponsored plan owned by Sisters of Mercy. She is also an accomplished entrepreneur, having co-founded a successful disease and complex case management firm. Dr. Zimmerman practiced internal medicine for 15 years and is licensed to practice in Missouri and Illinois. Outside of the office, Dr. Zimmerman enjoys traveling — especially to visit her three children.
Martha Butler
Martha is a talented healthcare executive with more than 25 years of experience in managed care and medical group settings. She has extensive expertise in process improvement, health center administration facilities management, and information systems operations. From 2000 to 2005, she served as executive director of Esse Health, one of the nation’s largest independent physician groups. Previously, Martha held a number of management positions at Group Health Plan and oversaw the ambulatory surgery department at St. Louis University Hospital. Martha is a native St. Louisan, has three grown children and currently lives in the St. Louis area with her husband.
Richard Jones
As an experienced healthcare executive and certified public accountant, Richard brings more than 30 years of expertise to his current role of president and CEO. Before joining Essence, Richard served as chief financial officer of Essence Group Holdings Corporation (including Essence Healthcare), national president of United Healthcare’s Medicare and Medicaid lines of business, president and CEO of Coventry Healthcare of the Midwest, and chief financial officer of Coventry Corporation.
Erin Venable
Erin brings over a decade of public accounting experience to Essence Healthcare, with nine years focused on the insurance industry serving life, health, property/casualty insurers, captive insurers and reinsurers. She has served companies in all aspects of audit service delivery and related audit and financial reporting matters, including coordination and execution of financial statement audits, review and supervision of staff accountants, and documentation and testing of business processes and internal controls. In her role at Essence, Erin provides strategic vision and oversight to the compliance and internal audit functions of the company. A native of Columbia, Missouri, Erin and her family enjoy all things Mizzou sports.
Joel Andersen
Joel is a seasoned executive with over 22 years of experience in the healthcare industry. Prior to his current role at Essence Healthcare, he was a founder and chief marketing officer for Essence’s sister company, Lumeris, and also served as president of the company’s EHR software division (ClearPractice). Before joining the Essence family of companies in 2006, he served as vice president of marketing for e-MDs and held a variety of management positions at several healthcare technology companies, including Trizetto, Nightingale and Mariner Systems. When not at work trying to come up with “the next big idea,”¯ he enjoys spending time with his wife and son, writing, playing golf or cheering on his favorite sports team, the St. Louis Blues.
Debbie Zimmerman, MD
Dr. Zimmerman has a distinguished history of medical leadership at health plans such as CIGNA, Group Health Plan and Health Partners of the Midwest. Before joining Essence Healthcare, she served as chief medical officer of Mercy Health Plans, a provider–sponsored plan owned by Sisters of Mercy. She is also an accomplished entrepreneur, having co-founded a successful disease and complex case management firm. Dr. Zimmerman practiced internal medicine for 15 years and is licensed to practice in Missouri and Illinois. Outside of the office, Dr. Zimmerman enjoys traveling — especially to visit her three children.
Martha Butler
Martha is a talented healthcare executive with more than 25 years of experience in managed care and medical group settings. She has extensive expertise in process improvement, health center administration facilities management, and information systems operations. From 2000 to 2005, she served as executive director of Esse Health, one of the nation’s largest independent physician groups. Previously, Martha held a number of management positions at Group Health Plan and oversaw the ambulatory surgery department at St. Louis University Hospital. Martha is a native St. Louisan, has three grown children and currently lives in the St. Louis area with her husband.
Richard Jones
As an experienced healthcare executive and certified public accountant, Richard brings more than 30 years of expertise to his current role of president and CEO. Before joining Essence, Richard served as chief financial officer of Essence Group Holdings Corporation (including Essence Healthcare), national president of United Healthcare’s Medicare and Medicaid lines of business, president and CEO of Coventry Healthcare of the Midwest, and chief financial officer of Coventry Corporation.
