BATON ROUGE – Bryan Camerlinck is the new president and CEO of Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Louisiana. The insurer’s board of directors made the appointment following Steve Udvarhelyi’s decision to retire after serving in the role for more than eight years.
In February, BCBSLA hit pause on its planned sale to Indiana-based insurance giant Elevance. Political support for the move faltered over concerns about rate increases and other negative consequences, although many industry observers believe a Blue Cross sale will eventually have to happen to keep up with a rapidly consolidating industry.
“We are fortunate to have someone of Bryan’s experience and track record succeed Steve Udvarhelyi as president and CEO of Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Louisiana,” said Jerry Greig, chairman of the BCBSLA board, in a statement. “Bryan has the strategic vision coupled with the tactical leadership experience to address the challenges and opportunities that Blue Cross and its employees face in serving our members, providers and brokers in today’s evolving healthcare environment.”
Camerlinck joined BCBSLA in 2016 as chief financial officer and was promoted to the role of executive vice president and chief operating officer in 2021. He also has served as chairman of the board and president and CEO of Vantage Health Plan.
Prior to joining BCBSLA, Camerlinck worked at Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas City for more than 20 years,. He began his career as an auditor at Ernst and Young. He’s a certified public accountant (CPA) who holds a degree in accounting and pre-law from Kansas State University.
“Since I joined Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Louisiana, my family and I have thoroughly enjoyed the people and culture unique to Louisiana,” said Camerlinck. “In this new role, I will continue to work with our dedicated employees to provide top-tier service and the security that our members expect from us.”
Camerlinck takes the reins at BCBSLA immediately. Outgoing CEO Udvarhelyi will assume the role of special advisor to the board and CEO until his retirement in July.
