Saturday, November 01, 2008

Blue Cross Blue Shield to lay off 100 workers


Christina Rogers / The Detroit News

Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan will lay off about 100 workers from its Metro Detroit offices, including its downtown headquarters, and is currently notifying workers of the job cuts, officials with the insurer said today.

The positions will include both union jobs and salaried jobs, said Helen Stojic, a Blue Cross spokeswoman. The company is not releasing specifics about the type of jobs or what offices will be affected but said notifications are now underway for those employees. The majority of the cuts will occur in Metro Detroit with a few outstate, Stojic said.

"We're seeing our customers continue to struggle in this softening economy and at Blue Cross we're not immune to increasing financial challenges," Stojic said.

Many of those challenges are related to Blue Cross's individual insurance policy business where the insurer is seeing greater losses due to both rising demand and medical costs outstripping the premium payments taken in, Stojic said. Individual policies are designed to provide medical coverage to those who are self-insured.
Blue Cross workers who lose their positions will be offered assistance in finding other jobs and will have the opportunity to apply for other openings within the organization, she said.

You can reach Christina Rogers at (313) 222-2300 or cvrogers@detnews.com.

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