Parent Company Of Blue Cross/Blue Shield Of Oklahoma Opening New Sales Division In Oklahoma City

Dec. 15--The parent company of Blue Cross/Blue Shield of Oklahoma is opening up a new sales division in Oklahoma City in response to passage earlier this year of the Affordable Care Act.

The Oklahoma Economic Development Trust on Tuesday approved $420,000 to Chicago-based Healthcare Service Corp., which in turn will create 104 new jobs over the next three years with an average wage of $49,619.

"In response to the health care reform act enacted this last year, we have strategically decided to expand aggressively our individual market," said Al Trotter , senior manager with Healthcare Service Corp. "Most of our policy customers are group members. So we need to expand our sales efforts."

The new operation is expected to have an economic impact of $52.8 million. Amber Egnor , senior business development manager with the Greater Oklahoma City Chamber, told the trust talks began in May after the chamber was contacted by a consultant working for the insurance company.

That consultant, Elaine Delgadillo with Wadley Donovan Gutshaw Consulting, said Oklahoma City was among 10 sites initially looked at for the new operation.

"From that list we determined which facilities had excess capacity and narrowed that down to six," Delgadillo said.

"We then talked to managers running the project and there was no question that the availability of qualified labor was the No. 1 issue."

Excess capacity existed at the Blue Cross/Blue Shield offices at 3401 NW 63. But Delgadillo said Oklahoma City ranked third in the first review due to concerns about finding available qualified labor for future expansion after the first initial hiring.

The company decided to choose Oklahoma City anyway after weighing the availability of incentives provided by General Obligation Limited Tax Funds approved by voters in 2007 for economic development.

Delgadillo said the company will work with local community colleges to ensure the available of qualified candidates for future job openings. She said a job fair will be held in January for the first phase of hiring.

"It is a relatively sophisticated call center operation; it's more sales than customer service," Delgadillo said. "Certainly someone with an insurance license would have a leg up."

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