AHL 36 October 2026 | Page 83

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“ Being good stewards of the healthcare

dollar means making every dollar count. We have a responsibility to make sure resources reach the members who need them and translate into the care
L. A. Care Health Plan
and services that improve their health.” For Miguel Varela Miranda, that commitment sits at the heart of healthcare compliance.
As Deputy Chief Compliance Officer at L. A. Care Health Plan( L. A. Care), he oversees regulatory compliance, delegation oversight, and program integrity for a health plan that serves more than 2 million members across Los Angeles County. His role spans relationships with regulators, oversight of contracted organizations, enterprise compliance initiatives, and governance structures supporting healthcare delivery. Yet, he rarely describes the role in technical terms. Instead, he shares stories about trust, accountability, and doing what’ s right.
Those principles shaped a career that began in law, evolved through healthcare operations, and ultimately led him to an organization dedicated to serving communities that often need healthcare support the most.“ This is a place where the focus is on underserved communities. We’ re not focused on margins. We’ re focused on healthcare and making sure our members receive the same level of care as people in more affluent communities.”
▲ Miguel Varela Miranda
Mission to care
Purpose came first. Compliance followed:“ I was really searching for an area where I could both leverage my legal skill set and work in a space that felt more meaningful to me.” He worked across legal, operations, and provider relations before joining L. A. Care, gaining direct experience with the industry’ s operational and regulatory challenges.
L. A. Care offered something he had been looking for throughout his career: the chance to apply the discipline of compliance in service of communities that often face barriers
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