The Minnesota Council of Health Plans has appointed Dana Erickson chair of the organization’s board of directors for a one-year term. Erickson, the president and CEO of Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota (Blue Cross), assumes the chair role from Andrea Walsh, president and CEO of HealthPartners.
The Council works to foster collaboration among its nonprofit health plan members to provide Minnesotans with broad access to high-quality care. Playing a leading role over the course of the pandemic, the Council’s member plans paid over $2.6 billion in COVID-related medical costs, waived cost-sharing, enabled expanded access to telehealth services, and kept people connected to care during a time of critical need. Now, during the challenging process of unwinding pandemic-era policies, the plans are taking important steps to make sure that Minnesotans stay covered and continue to have access to affordable and timely care. As a part of these efforts, the Council recently launched an educational toolkit with resources and information to help Minnesotans understand their coverage options as Medicaid renewals resume after the end of the COVID-19 public health emergency.
“The nonprofit health plans that make up the Council have a strong history of working together to improve the overall state of health in Minnesota,” said Erickson. “As the incoming chair of the Council, I look forward to advancing these important discussions and continuing our collective efforts to make the health care system across the state even stronger.”
Erickson has served in leadership roles at Blue Cross since 2015 and was promoted to President and CEO in 2021. In addition to serving on the Council’s Board, Erickson is on the boards of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota Foundation and of Portico Healthnet, a Minnesota-based nonprofit that works to help uninsured individuals and families access affordable coverage and care.