BlueCross cuts jobs at Hoover HQ - Birmingham Business Journal:

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The number of impacted employees was notimmediatelyt known, but sources said dozens of positiona were cut among BlueCross’ customeer relations, marketing and data processing The Birmingham Business Journal reported on June 12 the state’sw largest health insurance provider had already cut huma n resource positions and were eyeing more reductions. BlueCross’ claims department personnek attended a June 4 meeting in whicu employees were told only eight jobs were availabld to bid on ina 200-person sources said.
BlueCross managers told employees many businessese are turning to electronic decreasing the need for paper records administered BlueCross did not immediatelty respond to phoneor e-mail messagesx seeking comment on Thursday’s job cuts. Two weeks ago, BlueCrosw said it is “reviewing the scale of our administrative to be properly aligned with its customer base and itscorporatee mission. Without providing specific numberz on anticipatedjob cuts, it said its personnel adjustmentw are in response to declining customere levels. It blamed the recession and the state’s escalating unemploymeng rate for thejob cuts.
In a June 10 e-maileds statement, BlueCross said it is “not immunw to these challenging anddifficult “We too are being affected by the current economic downturn and the doubling of the unemployment rate in Alabama over the last 12 months,” statement read. “Many of our customers have had to reducd their work force and this has resulted in some having to drop theif healthcare coverage.” Alabama’s unemploymeny rate was 9.8 percent in May. It was 4.7 percenyt in May 2008. BlueCrosse of Alabama said it has 3,4090 employees in Alabama. In 2008, BlueCroszs had 3,000 local according to Birmingham BusineszJournal research.
It held 96 percentr of the small business health insurance market in the statein 2007, the most receng data available shows. In 2008, BlueCross reported $4 billion in premium up from $3.5 billion in 2007. Its $28.6 million 2008 net income was 60 percentf lower than in 2007 and resulted in a profift margin of less than one half of1