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Beth Roberts, the new president and CEO of BlueCross BlueShield of Vermont (Courtesy photo).<\/p>\nBeth Roberts, the new president and CEO of BlueCross BlueShield of Vermont (Courtesy photo).<\/p>\n
On Saturday, Beth Roberts officially took the helm as the new president and CEO of BlueCross BlueShield of Vermont.<\/p>\n
Less than a week later, the window closed on open enrollment for Affordable Care Act marketplace plans, without any extension of the federal tax credits<\/a> that made those plans affordable for thousands of Vermonters.<\/p>\n It\u2019s no secret that Roberts assumes the role as the health care industry \u2014 and her new employer, specifically \u2014 faces dire straits.<\/p>\n READ MORE<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t\t\tby Greta Solsaa<\/a> BlueCross BlueShield of Vermont has faced serious risks to its solvency and intensely butted heads with Vermont\u2019s main hospital system. All the while, Vermonters face some of the highest health care costs in the country.\u00a0<\/p>\n In an interview with VTDigger, Roberts said she was optimistic she will turn a new page on affordability in the state.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cMy career has been built on running towards the fire,\u201d she said. \u201cEven though it\u2019s in a very complicated state right here, and health care is in a complicated way right now, I think there\u2019s a lot of great work that can be done.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Prior to joining BlueCross BlueShield, Roberts worked as president of the Beth Israel Lahey Health Performance Network, a Boston-area health care provider. Prior to that, she built her career in health insurance groups across New England, including 20 years working at Harvard Pilgrim Health Care.\u00a0<\/p>\n During her time at Beth Israel Lahey, she worked on negotiating contracts between the hospitals and health insurers \u2014\u00a0something that\u2019s primed her, she said, for a healthier collaboration with the University of Vermont Health network. In negotiating past contracts and rates, the insurer and hospital network have had an \u201congoing adversarial relationship,\u201d as a state-appointed liaison described it<\/a>, in part over the costs of care<\/a> for patients covered by BlueCross BlueShield.<\/p>\n In October, the health network gained new leadership under Steve Leffler, who was officially named CEO in January<\/a> after serving as interim following former CEO Sunny Eappen\u2019s decision to step down<\/a> in the fall.<\/p>\n Roberts joined BlueCross BlueShield on Nov. 10, and worked with outgoing president and CEO Don George to transfer responsibilities during the two months they overlapped.<\/p>\n Both of the new leaders at UVM and BlueCross negotiated the new contract for 2026. The outcome was \u201ca better deal than what was expected,\u201d Roberts said, though she did not elaborate further. That work has been a primary piece of Roberts\u2019 first few months in the role.<\/p>\n \u201cI think there was a strong desire by both BlueCross BlueShield of Vermont and UVM Health network to do something different,\u201d she said.\u00a0<\/p>\n She sees more room for cooperation with the state\u2019s hospitals, beyond UVM, like trying to \u201ccut down the noise\u201d and streamline policies across providers and insurers, so that there is less time spent tailoring rates for specific plans and providers. She also noted that the hospitals and insurers can share resources better \u2014\u00a0things like care managers and quality experts that each entity has.\u00a0<\/p>\n
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\n\t\t\t\t\t\tAugust 13, 2025, 5:14 pmAugust 13, 2025, 5:14 pm\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n