Even health insurers are feeling pinched by the recession as rising unemployment results in companies having fewer workers to cover.

At the same time, both state and national leaders have indicated that they plan to make health care reform a top priority in 2009.

For Neil Waldron, that means he starts in the newly created position of chief marketing officer and vice president of strategic initiatives at Rocky Mountain Health Plans during an especially interesting time.

Waldron, 56, recently talked to the Rocky about his goals for his new job and the state of the health insurance industry. Before joining Rocky Mountain Health Plans, Waldron served as president and CEO of Sloans Lake Managed Care and later in executive positions at Aetna and Great West HealthCare. Grand Junction-based Rocky Mountain Health Plans is the fourth-largest health management organization and eighth- biggest health plan.

Since this job as chief marketing officer at Rocky Mountain Health Plans is new, what are your goals?

Rocky Mountain Health Plan's goal in bringing in a chief marketing officer is to get a unified focus across the entire state on sales and marketing on all their products. My goal is to grow each of our businesses in all parts of the state in an environment that's becoming increasingly challenging.

How are employers responding to economic pressures with their health insurance programs?

This is more the case today than ever. Clients are focused around cost - how do I control my cost? Who can provide the best cost proposal to me? Benefits are now an extremely high part of an employer's cost and also, as importantly, a rising component of employees' cost.

What role do you expect to have in state and national policy discussions on reducing the number of uninsured?

My personal role in that area is very undefined, but I do expect that Rocky Mountain Health Plans will have a big role in both the state and the federal discussions. It's a nonprofit and offers a very unique set of products, including HMO, Medicaid and Medicare.

As CEO of Sloans Lake, you were credited with bringing the managed care plan to profitability after five years of losses and of introducing several new innovations. What were the key changes that you made to accomplish both goals?

I've always believed that innovation is one of the best ways to differentiate yourself in the market.

(At the time) most of the competition had very complicated network structures that restricted where members could go. We believed in a free flow. We also had very innovative programs - we were the first to come out with an alternative care benefit, such as acupuncture and herbal medicine. Then we then came out with a spiritual care program that was designed to be an alternative form of emotional and mental therapy.

You are working in Rocky Mountain Health Plan's Grand Junction headquarters four days a week and commuting back to Denver. How are you going to make that drive tolerable?

On my iPod I've recorded several operas. I'm a big advocate for the opera.

Fewer people are interested in opera these days, but I always recommend Verdi and Puccini as good starting points (to get people interested).