RELEASE
Daniel J. Loepp, President and CEO of Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan, Chooses to Retire at the End of 2024 After More Than 20 years of Service
Andrew Hetzel
| 5 min read
DETROIT, Sept. 14, 2023 – Daniel J. Loepp, president and CEO of Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan, informed the company’s Board of Directors and employees today of his plan to retire at the end of next year – Dec. 31, 2024. During his more than two decades of leadership at BCBSM, Mr. Loepp transformed the company from a large single-state health insurance plan and workers’ compensation subsidiary to a modern, diversified, multi-company enterprise of national scale. The Executive Committee of the BCBSM Board of Directors will lead the succession process, beginning in December 2023 with the start of a national search for a new President and CEO.
“Transformational is the one word that best describes Dan Loepp’s legacy over more than 20 years,” said Gregory A. Sudderth, chairman of the BCBSM Board.“His vision and leadership diversified our business model, revolutionized the delivery of patient care, modernized the experience of our members, helped revitalize our cities’ downtowns and strengthened our social mission commitments to communities. In every way, Dan Loepp has prepared Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan to compete and succeed in a 21st Century where health care continues to evolve, and where our nonprofit company’s longstanding social mission remains as critical as ever.”
“I am very proud of the achievements we have shared over these past two decades,” Mr. Loepp said in his announcement to employees. “I am tremendously proud of the work you have done. Our enterprise employees – at every level – have embraced change, innovated to bring forward new ideas, rallied through challenges and carried on with determination to grow our business and fulfill our commitments to the people we serve.”
During Mr. Loepp’s tenure as CEO, BCBSM revenue more than doubled – from $15.3 billion in 2005 to $32.8 billion in 2022.
Mr. Loepp championed BCBSM’s transformation to a nonprofit mutual insurance company in 2013 – enabling Blue Cross and its subsidiary companies to serve more customers in a greater variety of insurance markets and providing greater depth and breadth of health insurance product offerings. He championed partnerships and investments to expand into emerging markets beyond commercial health insurance – including a move in 2011 to become a minority owner of AmeriHealth Caritas, a national Medicaid managed care company; and another in 2022 to enable AF Group, a BCBSM subsidiary offering primarily workers’ compensation insurance, to purchase AmeriTrust Group to diversify its product and solution offerings. In 2021, he furthered investment in new technologies and different ways to deliver solutions for the healthcare ecosystem when BCBSM purchased NASCO, a provider of innovative health care technology for other Blue Cross and Blue Shield licensed plans.NASCO services over 20 million Blue members across the nation. In 2023, Mr. Loepp led efforts by BCBSM and Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Vermont to formally affiliate. Pending regulatory approval, BCBS Vermont would become the first Blue Cross and Blue Shield licensed plan outside of Michigan to join the BCBSM enterprise.
Mr. Loepp also initiated BCBSM’s nationally recognized efforts to work with physicians and health systems to transform the payment model for health care services – including the launch of one of the nation’s largest Patient-Centered Medical Home programs in 2009. More than 20 value-based care initiatives launched by BCBSM during Mr. Loepp’s tenure have helped make Michigan a leader in leveraging payment reforms to promote health care quality and health outcomes for patients.
A champion of the idea that companies should serve communities, Mr. Loepp led efforts by BCBSM to invest in Michigan’s urban centers as hubs for business operations. In 2007, he initiated the restoration of Lansing’s derelict Board of Water and Light power station in the heart of the city’s downtown – opening it in 2011 as the new national headquarters of Accident Fund, a BCBSM workers’ compensation subsidiary. In 2010, he stood at the forefront of a movement by southeast Michigan employers to return to downtown Detroit by relocating 3,000 suburban BCBSM employees to offices in the GM Renaissance Center and other BCBSM downtown Detroit properties. He also committed BCBSM employees to locate in downtown Traverse City – and remain located in downtown Grand Rapids and Marquette serving local customers. As part of the legislative effort that led to BCBSM transitioning to become a nonprofit mutual insurance company in 2013, Mr. Loepp agreed to commit $1.56 billion to the independent Michigan Health Endowment Fund over 18 years – an unparalleled corporate financial commitment – to further the company’s historic social mission into the future.In 2018, BCBSM committed $5 million to the City of Detroit’s Strategic Neighborhood Fund to invest in revitalizing the East Warren-Cadieux neighborhood where Mr. Loepp spent his boyhood years.
“As you can imagine, it’s not an easy decision to step away from the best job I’ve had, leading a company of such significant importance to the lives of millions of people, and one that is only beginning to realize its potential for diversifying into an enterprise of national scale,” Mr. Loepp said in his message to employees. “But it’s the right decision and this is the right time to make it.”
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan, a nonprofit mutual insurance company, provides health benefits to nearly 5.2 million members. The company is committed to delivering affordable health care products through a broad variety of plans for businesses and individuals. Based in Detroit since 1939, BCBSM supports impactful community initiatives and provides leadership in improving health care across Michigan. BCBSM is an independent licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association. For more information, visit bcbsm.com and MiBluesPerspectives.com.
