Dr. Bruce Hamory, Timothy Sweeney, and Paul Toner Join Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts' Board of Directors

BOSTON — March 29, 2012 — Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts' (BCBSMA) Board of Directors announced today that Bruce H. Hamory, M.D., FACP, Timothy M. Sweeney and Paul F. Toner have joined the board of Massachusetts' largest private health plan.

"We are honored that these three talented leaders with broad expertise and experience have joined our Board to help guide our future," said William C. Van Faasen, Chairman, BCBSMA Board of Directors. "Bruce is a nationally known expert on health care delivery and payment reform, Tim is a seasoned executive with broad knowledge about the insurance business, and Paul is a well-respected labor leader with experience in health insurance issues."

In selecting new members, BCBSMA's Board follows best governance practices to ensure the election of skilled directors who possess the requisite content expertise and leadership skills. In addition, by statute, BCBSMA is required to have three directors who are officers or agents of contributing employers and two directors who represent labor.

Additional information about BCBSMA's three new Board members follows:

Dr. Bruce Hamory is Executive Vice President and Managing Partner of Geisinger Consulting Services for the Geisinger Health System, an innovative health services organization in Pennsylvania that includes physicians, hospitals and a health plan. Dr. Hamory has been with Geisinger for more than 15 years and currently leads their efforts to extend its innovations in health care delivery and payment to other groups and health systems. From 1997 to 2008, he served as the Chief Medical Officer of the Geisenger Health System and led the growth of a 535-physician multi-specialty group practice to 750 physicians in 40 locations serving 41 counties and the three Geisinger hospitals.

Timothy Sweeney is Executive Vice President at Liberty Mutual Insurance. He has more than 18 years experience at Liberty Mutual and currently serves as President, Personal Markets which markets individual, auto, homeowners, and life/annuity insurance products to consumers throughout the U.S. Mr. Sweeney has a BA in Economics from Harvard University and an MBA from Harvard Business School.

Paul Toner is the President of the 110,000 member Massachusetts Teachers Association. He has dedicated his life to working with students, teachers, education support professionals, and higher education faculty and staff. Originally a middle school social studies teacher, Mr. Toner went on to earn his juris doctorate from Suffolk University Law School. Prior to joining the BCBSMA Board of Directors, Mr. Toner was a commissioner on the Massachusetts Group Insurance Commission.

Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts (www.bluecrossma.com) is a community-focused, tax-paying, not-for-profit health plan headquartered in Boston. Celebrating our 75th anniversary in 2012, we are committed to working with others in a spirit of shared responsibility to make quality health care affordable. Consistent with our corporate promise to always put our 2.8 million members first, we are rated among the nation's best health plans for member satisfaction and quality.

For further information: CONTACT: Sharon Torgerson 617-246-2357 sharon.torgerson@bcbsma.com