Nonprofit health plan announces new corporate structure to better serve Californians

OAKLAND, Calif., Jan. 8, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — The Board of Directors of Blue Shield of California, the nonprofit health plan serving the state’s residents since 1939, today unveiled a new corporate structure designed to improve health care for Californians and make it more affordable for its nearly six million members.

“The healthcare crisis threatens the livelihoods of every Californian and all Americans. We are not waiting for the system to fix itself,” said Kristina (Kris) Leslie, chair of the Blue Shield of California Board of Directors. “We are taking action.”

The board also announced Lois Quam as chief executive officer to lead Blue Shield of California, the first woman to serve as CEO in the health plan’s 86-year history. She joined the company as president in 2024.   

“For her entire life, Lois has worked to make health care better and more affordable for people from all walks of life,” Leslie said. “Her leadership at the state, national and global levels to improve health care for everyone stood out to us as we selected the right leader for Blue Shield of California at this critical time.”

“I look forward to working with Californians and families across our state, along with physicians, hospitals, health systems, business leaders, and state officials to make California a model for health care,” Quam said. 

“I am focused on the challenges facing our members in every corner of our state who gather at their kitchen tables and wrestle with their health care decisions and whether they can afford them. As the only statewide nonprofit health plan, we can help make those conversations – and their lives – better,” Quam added. 

Quam came to Blue Shield of California after serving as CEO of Pathfinder, a nonprofit global health organization serving women and girls. Previously, she worked with Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton at the U.S. State Department to lead President Obama’s Global Health Initiative serving Africa, Asia and the Middle East. She also played an instrumental role in expanding healthcare access in Minnesota and has served as an executive officer and board member in major healthcare organizations.

Susan Mullaney, who joined Blue Shield of California in August as executive vice president, will now serve as chief operating officer of the health plan. Mullaney brings deep healthcare experience, including senior roles at Kaiser Permanente and nonprofit hospital systems.

“Susan’s extensive understanding of the healthcare delivery system and her commitment to our nonprofit mission are the right combination to meet the challenge of the rising costs of health care,” Quam said.

In addition, Blue Shield has restructured. A new, nonprofit corporate entity named Ascendiun launched on January 1, as the new parent to the family of organizations that includes Blue Shield of California and its subsidiary, Blue Shield of California Promise Health Plan; Altais, a clinical services firm; and Stellarus, a company designed to scale healthcare solutions. 

Paul Markovich, Blue Shield of California’s chief executive officer for the past 12 years, has been appointed president of Ascendiun and will serve on an interim basis as president of Stellarus.   

Stellarus will initially focus on enhancing the capabilities of Blue Shield’s existing programs with the goal of sharing these innovations with other like-minded health plans in the future. Pharmacy Care Reimagined, for example, was created to help put an end to the costly practices of traditional pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) and has developed a first-of-its-kind pharmacy model that delivers affordable medications directly from retail pharmacies to members. 

“Our goal in the restructuring is to better serve our members with less bureaucracy and faster results, while making health care more affordable,” Leslie said. “Paul will set up this new exciting venture to help solve problems on behalf of our members, advance healthcare effectiveness and respond to the issues that have plagued the patch-work quilt of health services.”

About Blue Shield of California
Blue Shield of California strives to create a healthcare system worthy of its family and friends that is sustainably affordable. The health plan is a tax paying, nonprofit, independent member of the Blue Shield Association with nearly six million members, over 7,100 employees; and more than $25 billion in annual revenue. Founded in 1939 in San Francisco and now headquartered in Oakland, Blue Shield of California and its affiliates provide health, dental, vision, Medicaid and Medicare healthcare service plans in California. The company has contributed more than $60 million to the Blue Shield of California Foundation in the last three years to have an impact on California communities. For more news about Blue Shield of California, please visit news.blueshieldca.com. Or follow us on LinkedIn or Facebook. 

About Blue Shield Promise Health Plan
Blue Shield of California Promise Health Plan is a managed care organization, wholly owned by Blue Shield of California, offering Medi-Cal. It is led by healthcare professionals with a “members-first” philosophy and committed to building a quality network of providers and partnering with community organizations for more than 575,000 members across Los Angeles and San Diego counties. For more information about Blue Shield of California Promise Health Plan, please visit www.blueshieldca.com/promise.

About Ascendiun
Ascendiun is a nonprofit and ultimate parent company of Blue Shield of California, Blue Shield Promise Health Plan, Altais and Stellarus. The Ascendiun family of companies are dedicated to advancing better health outcomes, making care more affordable and addressing the unique needs of diverse communities. For more news about Ascendiun, please visit www.ascendiun.com. Or follow us on LinkedIn. 

About Stellarus
Stellarus is a company designed to create scalable solutions that help health plans rethink the status quo, simplify operations, reduce unnecessary costs, and enhance member experiences, building a stronger, more sustainable future. Stellarus is part of the Ascendiun family of companies. For more news about Stellarus, please visit www.stellarus.com. Or follow us on LinkedIn. 

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SOURCE Blue Shield of California