S.C. BlueCross Taps Shaffer to Oversee Large Group Unit

COLUMBIA, S.C., Nov. 6 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina has named Matthew M. Shaffer senior vice president for the Major Group unit, which serves companies with 50 or more employees. Shaffer will have responsibility for sales, marketing, underwriting and operations for all large group and national account customers.

Formerly senior vice president of sales for Iowa and South Dakota at Wellmark Blue Cross and Blue Shield, an independent licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association, Shaffer brings a strong mix of sales and marketing, national account and operational leadership experience.

"We are excited to have someone with Matt's skills and experience join our company. Having personally served with him on the Consortium of Health Plans Board of Directors, I'm confident he will provide the direction we need to continue as the market leader in our large group and national account business," said BlueCross BlueShield Division President David Pankau.

Shaffer joined Wellmark in 2002 as president of Wellmark Health Plan of Iowa, a subsidiary HMO. Because of his successful track record, he was asked to assume the additional responsibilities of leading all of Wellmark's sales operations. Prior to joining Wellmark, he worked for Aetna U.S. Healthcare for seven years where his last position was vice president and director of business development for seven Western states.

A graduate of Washington and Jefferson College in Pennsylvania, Shaffer was commissioned as an officer in the U.S. Army, where he attained the rank of captain, serving as a flight platoon leader and pilot of the Army's UH-60 Blackhawk helicopter.

Shaffer has served on the Iowa Business Council, the board of the Iowa College Foundation, and the board of the Fort Des Moines Memorial Museum and Education Center.

Headquartered in Columbia, S.C., BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina (www.SouthCarolinaBlues.com) is an independent licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association. BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina and its family of companies include more than 20 subsidiaries involved in health insurance services, U.S. DoD health plan and Medicare contracts, and other insurance and employee benefits services.

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SOURCE BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina

CONTACT: Elizabeth Hammond of BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina, +1-803-264-4626