Press Releases

New post for Highmark's Michael Edbauer; Excellus executive Jessica Cox succeeds him

• Dr. Edbauer promoted to leadership role across Highmark’s footprint, and Ms. Cox becomes first woman market president for Buffalo insurer

Buffalo, N.Y. (July 8, 2024) — Dr. Michael Edbauer, market president for Highmark Western and Northeastern New York, has been promoted to a new three-state leadership position and Jessica Cox, a long-time New York-based health-care executive with Excellus BlueCross BlueShield (parent company of Univera Healthcare), will succeed him.

Ms. Cox becomes the first woman in its 90-year history to lead the Buffalo-based health plan, the region’s largest. She will start as market president July 29, and will move to Buffalo from Horseheads, NY.

Dr. Edbauer was in charge locally of HealthNow’s transition to Highmark the last three-plus years. He will become senior vice president of markets, in charge of provider partnership strategy across New York and Highmark’s multi-state footprint. He will report to Thomas Doran, president of the Pittsburgh-based Highmark Health Plan. Dr. Edbauer will continue to be based in Buffalo and plans to remain strongly involved in the community.

Highmark recruited Ms. Cox starting months ago for the leadership position based on her successful 23-year career at Excellus BlueCross BlueShield, a Blues plan serving the Central New York region. Ms. Cox most recently served as market president for the Southern Tier, based in Binghamton, and lives in Horseheads. After obtaining degrees from Alfred State College and Syracuse University, Ms. Cox held four executive positions at Excellus, spending the most time, nine years, as director of provider relations, eventually responsible for relations with more than 100 hospitals.

“This is a terrific one-two punch for Highmark,” Doran said. “Mike’s move puts an experienced medical professional from Buffalo at the head of strategy and innovation for our providers in New York State, as well as Pennsylvania and Delaware. On Mike’s heels, Jessica’s career-long New York experience, her market leadership in the Southern Tier, and her industry knowledge means she can move seamlessly into the market president role for Buffalo and Albany.”

Since Highmark affiliated with HealthNow New York, it continues to have the strongest local presence of any health plan, with a New York-based workforce of 1,600. 1,100 Highmark team members were with HealthNow at the time of the affiliation and over 350 have experienced career advancements since then.

The company remains the only unionized health plan in the region with around 500 associates represented by OPEIU, Local 153. Investments continue in the local workforce, with more than 40 new Western New York hires so far this year and plans for more new hire classes starting in the coming months.

After signing a new 10-year lease and re-locating its local workforce to Buffalo’s Seneca One late this month, Highmark’s commitment to its Buffalo-based workforce clearly will continue.

Known as well for its community service, Highmark recently announced $8.3 million in community investments in 2023, bringing its total to more than $23 million in the past three years.

As senior vice president of corporate development and strategy and chief risk officer since 2022, Ms. Cox drove, formulated and communicated Excellus’ strategic plan across the organization and to the Board of Directors. That included the assessment of external competitive threats, risks, opportunities, and customer needs.

Prior to that appointment, Ms. Cox served from 2017 as the Southern Tier regional president, a post she continued to hold to the present. She also held a variety of leadership roles in commercial sales, and provider relations since beginning her career at Excellus in 2001.

“Jessica Cox brings precisely the expertise and experience we sought in my successor,” Dr. Edbauer said. “She knows the provider side, ranked highly at another well-respected upstate New York Blues plan, and understands every aspect of the current and evolving health-care system. Highmark will only continue to grow and innovate in the Western and Northeastern New York markets.”

As senior vice president of markets, Dr. Edbauer is responsible primarily for leading the delivery system-related performance and strategies in Highmark's New York, Central and Northeastern and Southeastern Pennsylvania, and Delaware markets. This includes coordinating all market-performance-related levers in those states, as well as developing the strategy, programs, and overall relationships with Highmark’s provider partners in those markets.

“This opportunity to apply to multiple states what I learned and experienced my whole career in Buffalo is rare,” Dr. Edbauer said. “I am grateful to my teammates, who I know I’m leaving in great hands with Jessica Cox. I am also honored that Highmark leaders selected me to operate across three states to help implement Highmark’s strategic plans, innovative new technologies and cement our excellent relations with our providers.”