Bruce Bodaken is planning to turn over the reins at Blue Shield of California to another executive.
Bodaken — a former philosophy teacher who has been chairman and chief executive officer (CEO) and California Blue Shield, San Francisco, since January 2000 — is also the company's president. He will be giving up the title of president in June and the CEO title in December, the company says.
Paul Markovich, the chief operating officer (COO), will become president in June and CEO in January 2013, the company says.
The company is not saying whether Markovich will be its next chairman.
California Blue Shield is a nonprofit rival of Blue Cross of California, which is now a unit of WellPoint Inc., Indianapolis (NYSE:WLP).
The company has 4,800 employees. It generated $9.7 billion in revenue in 2011 by providing or administering medical coverage for 3.3 million people.
While at California Blue Shield, Bodaken has set himself apart from many other health insurance company CEOs by supporting state and federal efforts to reform the health finance system.