Ron Howrigon is President and CEO of Fulcrum Strategies, a consulting firm that represents physician practices across the U.S. in their dealings with managed care companies. Prior to founding Fulcrum, Ron spent 18 years in the managed care industry as a negotiator and network manager. He once held senior management-level positions with Kaiser Permanente, Cigna, and Blue Cross and Blue Shield. Ron is the author of the recently published book “Flatlining: How Healthcare Could Kill the U.S. Economy,” which presents a concise, comprehensible overview of the critical issues and challenges facing the economics of healthcare. Ron earned a Bachelors of Business Administration degree from Western Michigan University and a Master of Economics degree from North Carolina State University. He is the Past-Chairman of the Board of Directors for The Mariposa School for Children with Autism and once served as Chief Operating Officer for one of the largest neurology practices in the country. Ron currently serves on the Board of Directors for The Miracle League of the Triangle, a baseball league dedicated to providing children with special needs the opportunity to participate in an activity that would otherwise not be available to them.