Health insurance reform bills, now headed to Gov. Snyder’s desk, will be part of Blue Cross’ legacy

Daniel J. Loepp

| 2 min read

Daniel J. Loepp is President and Chief Executive Officer of Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan. Mr. Loepp has directed sweeping initiatives and innovations that have led to a historic transformation of BCBSM and health care in Michigan. He played a major role in modernizing the state’s health care delivery system in a process that led to enactment of new laws that transformed BCBSM to become a nonprofit mutual insurance company in January 2014. Mr. Loepp has led BCBSM initiatives to improve health care quality and slow cost increases, saving nearly $1.5 billion through several programs that have garnered national attention and served as models implemented across the country. Under his leadership, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan is helping to revitalize and strengthen Detroit, Grand Rapids and Lansing. In 2011 and 2012, Blue Cross moved 3,000 BCBSM employees into downtown Detroit and the company is one of the largest employers in the city’s Central Business District. In Lansing, BCBSM subsidiary AF Group transformed a long abandoned power plant into a national headquarters. Mr. Loepp has stood by a commitment that BCBSM should be a driving force for good in Michigan’s core cities. It is reflected in BCBSM’s workforce diversity and inclusion efforts, supplier partnerships and community initiatives. In his tenure, BCBSM has been named Corporation of the Year in Finance and Insurance Services nine times by the Michigan Minority Supplier Development Council. The company has also been named one of America’s Top Organizations for Multi-Cultural Business Opportunities by DiversityBusiness.com and ranked five consecutive years as one of the top 10 Regional Companies for diversity by DiversityInc magazine, including being ranked No. 1 for consecutive years in 2015 and 2016. Mr. Loepp was honored as a 2016 recipient of the Edward N. McNamara Goodfellow of the Year Award. He was selected as Michiganian of the Year by The Detroit News in 2013. Mr. Loepp joined Blue Cross in 2000. In 2011, 2012 and 2013, he served as board chair of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association (BCBSA), an organization that includes all 36 Blue Cross plans and provides health coverage to more than 106 million Americans.

The state Legislature wrapped up work Tuesday on a bipartisan set of reforms to modernize Michigan’s health insurance market, sending bills that authorize Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan to become a nonprofit mutual to Gov. Rick Snyder for his signature. The state Senate gave final OK to Senate Bills 61 and 62, which the House overwhelmingly approved last week and the Senate passed in January. As I said in a statement posted earlier today, this is a huge achievement for both lawmakers and Gov. Snyder, who proposed the changes in September 2012. We’re thrilled that legislators gave this package priority in the new session and for the deliberative, bipartisan support shown throughout the process. By establishing consistent regulations for all health insurers, the legislation ensures that BCBSM, which next year marks 75 years of doing business, can continue its commitments to a healthier Michigan and its nonprofit mission. I am personally committed to making sure that the transition to the nonprofit mutual structure is seamless for our customers and business partners, with no interruptions in service or changes in health coverage. At a time of great change in the health care industry, we have an enormous responsibility to help point the way forward for our customers and help them to make good choices. We’ll be communicating regularly with our stakeholders throughout the year, and I’ll have more to say about the legislation once it clears its final hurdle. In the meantime, you can read more about what the changes mean here. Daniel J. Loepp is president and chief executive of Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan.

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