Caregiver Spotlight

PHP Caregiver Spotlight: Jon Cascino

25 August 2023

“When participating in government programs like Medicaid and Medicare Advantage, there is a lot of opportunity to play a meaningful role, have a meaningful career, and feel good about what you do. It provides a purpose and feeling like you’re contributing to the betterment of people and society.” 

Jon Cascino, senior director of PHP’s Medicaid program, has long been passionate about improving the lives and well-being of others. As a teenager, Jon worked for the Mayo Clinic in his hometown of Rochester, Minnesota in the lab and as an anesthesiology assistant. His inspiration to pursue a career in healthcare came from his father, a neurologist at the Mayo Clinic.

Motivated by these experiences and time spent as a law school clerk, Jon knew he wanted to be a force for change in the healthcare system. He attended law school at the University of Oregon and devoted his career to helping healthcare organizations navigate policy and administrative efforts. Jon was excited about the thought of improving the health of communities across the country and ensuring everyone equal access to care.

Before joining PHP in 2015, Jon worked in health law for a small law firm and held various leadership roles in Medicare and Medicaid  at Cambia and AlohaCare. Currently, he oversees PHP’s Medicaid plan, known as the Oregon Health Plan, which is offered in partnership with Health Share of Oregon and several other local healthcare organizations to provide no-cost health coverage for eligible families and individuals. He also manages the dual-eligible special needs plan, called D-SNP, for those covered under both Medicaid and Medicare. A typical day for Jon includes directing strategy and operations for the plans, enabling collaboration across multiple organizations, and more, all with the aim of serving the needs of populations like the uninsured and underinsured.

Jon’s goal was to join a mission-driven organization delivering high-quality care with an integrated delivery system. What he values most about his work at PHP is serving those who may struggle to access much-needed healthcare, devoting his time to fill in care gaps for vulnerable populations. He gets to help all individuals access the same top-class facilities, providers, and care, no matter their background. 

“There’s no stigma or second-class citizen aspect. It is an extremely high-value and high-quality Medicaid plan where you have access to all the services, providers, and facilities that even the highest level commercial large group plans have.” 

Jon also loves the innovation he leads in his work, like initiatives to address social determinants of health (SDOHs) or incorporating non-traditional services like doula care into coverage. In the next few years, he is excited to launch a first-of-its-kind Medicaid benefit that will help Members address health-related social needs such as housing, meals, and care navigation.

When Jon isn’t serving the Medicaid population, he is busy raising his two sons, Marcus and Lucas, alongside his wife Erin. He loves spending time with his boys getting active outdoors at their local parks and is excited to volunteer for the budget advisory committee at the parks and recreation department.

We are proud to have Jon as a caregiver in the PHP community helping provide equal access to high-quality healthcare for all, especially underserved populations. Thank you for your contributions, Jon, and for living out PHP’s Mission in all you do.