Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Excellus BlueCross BlueShield names new CEO

James R. Reed, new CEO for Excellus BlueCross BlueShield
provided photo
James R. Reed, new CEO for Excellus BlueCross BlueShield

Excellus BlueCross BlueShield has announced that James R. Reed has been appointed CEO of Excellus BlueCross BlueShield and its parent organization, The Lifetime Healthcare Companies.

Reed served as president and CEO-elect since July 2020 and succeeds Chris Booth who retired Monday after leading the company since 2013.

Reed joined Excellus BlueCross BlueShield in January 1996. His roles included executive vice-president of marketing and sales, and central New York regional president.

“Jim is strategic in his approach, has a strong sense of mission and brings a wide array of experience to the job,” said Marianne Gaige, chairwoman of the company’s board of directors. “He has been a leader in this company for 25 years and has been instrumental in shaping the company’s future in today’s ever-changing health insurance industry.”

The Lifetime Healthcare family of companies includes its nonprofit health plan with 1.5 million members in 39 New York counties and about 3,900 employees. The health plan does business as Excellus BlueCross BlueShield across the Rochester region, central and northern New York, the Utica region and the southern tier and operates as Univera Healthcare in eight counties surrounding the Buffalo area. 

“Our focus remains on providing access to high-quality health care to as many people as possible at a price they can afford,” Reed said. “As a locally-based health plan, we are partners with those who provide care and those who pay for it and we want to build on that going forward.”

Randy Gorbman is WXXI's director of news and public affairs. Randy manages the day-to-day operations of WXXI News on radio, television, and online.