Excellus net income declines 50 percent in 2022

ROCHESTER, N.Y. — Excellus BlueCross BlueShield reported net income of $58.9 million on $6.6 billion in premium revenue in 2022, down 50 percent from the $117.6 million that the health insurer generated in 2021.

The nonprofit disclosed the figures in an annual financial report filed with the New York State Department of Financial Services. Rochester–based Excellus is Central New York’s largest health insurer.

The 2022 results amounted to net income of $40 per member for the entire year, down from $78 in 2021, Excellus said. The health plan additionally said that last year it spent $5.9 billion in medical benefits for its 1.5 million members.

“We remained focused on our nonprofit mission in 2022, spending more than $16.1 million every day covering our members’ health care costs,” Jim Reed, president and CEO of Excellus, said in a March 1 statement. “We’re also a company that aims for small financial margins … and in 2022 we met our goal of earning a positive net income of less than two percent of premium.”

Excellus appointed Reed to lead the health plan and its parent company, the Lifetime Healthcare Companies in May 2021. He succeeded Christopher Booth who retired after leading the company since 2013. The year 2022 marked Jim Reed’s first full year as CEO and president, Excellus said.

Excellus reserves stood at $1.8 billion at the end of 2022, or the equivalent of 100 days of claims and expenses. Reserves are like a savings account to be drawn upon for unforeseen higher expenses such as a pandemic, the insurer says.

Excellus also noted that it paid $428.5 million in federal and state taxes in 2022.