Blue Cross plans cuts in jobs, programs

PROVIDENCE – Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Rhode Island has “made the difficult but necessary decision to eliminate several programs and functions, as well as to reduce the number of staff,” according to a statement issued late today by Kim Keough, the company’s assistant vice president of public relations.
BCBSRI declined to provide any information about how many jobs or programs might be affected, whether any employee buyouts or retirement incentives were planned, or when layoffs might begin, referring all questions to the statement issued today, which said: “Out of respect and sensitivity to those individuals who are directly impacted, it would be inappropriate for us to provide any more information. We are making every effort to treat those individuals with the dignity and respect they deserve.”
The company cited “increasing competitive pressure to provide high-quality health insurance for less.”
The news of the planned austerity measures comes a week and a half after BCBSRI promoted eight-year company veteran Shanna Marzilli to the position of vice president of operations and strategic management.
She will assume some of the responsibilities of John H. Gorman, vice president of operations, and Dale D. Huff, vice president of strategic planning and communications, both of whom are retiring.
Marzilli most recently had served as assistant vice president of corporate compliance and ethics. She had served as an independent contractor with the insurer before officially joining the company in 1999, and previously had worked for the R.I. Department of Health as a health policy analyst.
Active in the community, Marzilli is a member of the boards of directors of Planned Parenthood of Rhode Island and the Rhode Island Breastfeeding Coalition. She is a political science graduate of Providence College.
“Shanna has played a critical role in our organization helping to develop a strong compliance and ethics program,” BCBSRI President and CEO James E. Purcell said in a statement. “We’re pleased to add her to our management team, and look forward to her contributions in guiding operations and strategic planning, both of which are critical to our long-term success.”
Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Rhode Island, based in Providence, covers more than 670,000 customers statewide. BCBSRI is an independent licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association. Additional information is available at www.bcbsri.com.