January 8, 2025

Regence BlueShield

Cole

Regence BlueShield named Michael Cole as its new market president. Cole, currently the market president of Regence's health plan in Oregon, will add Washington to his portfolio while retaining his duties in the neighboring state. In addition to the Oregon market, Cole will oversee strategy and growth for Regence BlueShield, which serves more than 1.6 million people in Washington. He takes over for Claire Verity, who is retiring this month after a three-decade career in the health care industry, including four years as president of Regence BlueShield. In his expanded role, Cole will provide continuity by drawing on his experience working with producers, providers and community partners in the Northwest. Many Regence business partners, including providers, brokers and employers, work across both Washington and Oregon. Before joining Regence in 2023, he served as president of Aetna's North Atlantic territory, where he oversaw 11 states and 6 million members. Cole brings more than 20 years of executive health care leadership experience across a wide spectrum of the industry, including payer, payment integrity and health care diagnostics. Cole is a longtime board member at Erie Family Health Centers, a federally qualified health center providing safety-net care for the underserved, and on the board of Trillium Family Services, a behavioral health provider in Oregon. Regence BlueShield has been providing health care solutions to Washingtonians in select counties for more than a century.