Rushil Desai

President and Chief Executive Officer, Illinois
Aetna Better Health

Rushil Desai is the President and Chief Executive Officer for Aetna Better Health of Illinois, which is the third largest managed care organization responsible for over 430,000 Medicaid members in Illinois. Rushil is the market leader responsible for leading and growing the Illinois Medicaid business.

Rushil began his career at CVS Health in 2020 as Chief Operating Officer (Executive Director, Medicaid Operations) for Aetna Better Health of Illinois. He was responsible for driving all business and led cross-functional initiatives to improve operational performance. Rushil is driven by transforming healthcare through personalizing the consumer-centric experience and developing strategic provider partnerships through value-based arrangements.

Prior to joining CVS Health, Rushil served as the chief operating officer IlliniCare Health, a Centene company and Vice President of Provider Strategy and Performance Outcomes at IlliniCare Health, a Centene company. During his tenure with Centene, he led cross-functional initiatives to improve performance with a focus on enhancing patient outcomes, engaging providers and orienting them with the health plan’s competitive advantages. At Trexin Consulting, he served as senior principal and healthcare lead and advised both payers and providers on care delivery strategy, business development and clinical program design to execution aimed at improving health and outcomes practices.

Rushil holds a Bachelor of Science in Neuroscience from the University of Miami and a Master of Science in Biomedical Sciences from Chicago Medical School. He received his Master of Business Administration/Health Sector Management from Duke University. He has served on advisory board for Street Samaritans and ModivCare.

Rushil lives in Chicago, IL with his wife, son and goldendoodle. Rushil and his family enjoy travel, golf, and hiking.