Alphonso O’Neil-White, president and CEO of BlueCross BlueShield of WNY, has been elected to a national post as chairman of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association.
The Chicago-based association includes 38 independent, community-based and locally operated Blue Cross and Blue Shield companies that collectively provide healthcare coverage for nearly 100 million individuals.
According to a news release from HealthNow NY, the parent company of BlueCross BlueShield of WNY, O’Neil-White will serve a term of one year, presiding over quarterly meetings of the association’s board of directors. The governing body sets policies for the nation’s Blue Cross and Blue Shield companies and provides strategic guidance and oversight for the association. He also will serve as chair of the board’s administrative committee.
O’Neil-White joined the local organization in 1996, taking on the president and CEO post in 2003. He previously served as vice president and general counsel for the organization now known as America’s Health Insurance Plans (AHIP), a Washington, D.C.- based trade association for the health insurance industry. As an attorney in private practice, he specialized in labor/management relations, and remains licensed to practice law in several states and the District of Columbia.
He will continue to serve on local and national boards of directors including the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, National Institute for Healthcare Management, the Community Foundation for Greater Buffalo and the Albright-Knox Art Gallery.