Ken Lautsch has joined Blue Shield as vice president and general manager of Core Accounts. He is responsible for strategy, program, product, sales and account management for the growing 100-2,000 business segment.
“Blue Shield of California has an incredible mission statement that is customer centric,” said Lautsch. “It’s an honor to be part of the Blue Shield family and I look forward to building on the momentum of this outstanding team.”
Lautsch has more than 25 years of health plan and insurance experience. He most recently served as west region vice president for Sales at UnitedHealth Group. He also served in leadership positions at Aetna, The Hartford and Prudential Insurance.
Jim Elliott was appointed vice president of Third Party Administrator Partnerships. He is responsible for continuing to build and strengthen Blue Shield’s relationships with third party adminstrators to help support its customer’s self-funded plans.
“I am thrilled to work with such a bright, thoughtful and engaged team,” said Elliott. "I look forward to strengthening key relationships at all levels and help our organizations lead during a dynamic time in health care.”
Elliott previously served as vice president and general manager of Producer and Channel Partnerships, Small Group and Core Accounts. Prior to joining Blue Shield, Elliott served in executive leadership positions at Anthem Blue Cross of California.
“Blue Shield of California has been steadily evolving to make us more agile and responsive to the market,” said Nitin Bhargava, Blue Shield’s senior vice president of Employer Markets. “With Ken and Jim working in these roles, we continue to strengthen the breadth and depth of our leadership team to better serve our employer groups.”
These are the latest appointments made Blue Shield’s Markets team. Earlier this year, the nonprofit health plan announced Steve Shearer as vice president and general manager of Small Group.
Contact: Clinton McGue, 415-229-5359, media@blueshieldca.com
Background on Blue Shield of California
Blue Shield of California, an independent member of the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association, is a not-for-profit health plan with 4 million members, 6,800 employees and more than $17 billion in annual revenue. Founded in 1939 and headquartered in San Francisco, Blue Shield of California and its affiliates provide health, dental, vision, Medicaid and Medicare health care service plans in California. The company’s mission is to ensure all Californians have access to high-quality care at an affordable price. Blue Shield has contributed more than $450 million over the past since 2002 to the Blue Shield of California Foundation. Contact your local agent or broker about Blue Shield of California products and services, or visit www.blueshieldca.com.