Excellus BCBS Raises Minimum Wage to $18 an Hour

Excellus BlueCross BlueShield has raised the minimum wage for all employees at its company to $18 an hour. Previously, the minimum wage was $15 an hour.

“I’m excited to share that our organization has a new $18 an hour minimum wage,” said Jim Reed, CEO and president of Excellus BCBS. “We hope an increase in the minimum wage will have a meaningful impact on employees and their families and help us remain competitive when attracting and retaining top talent.”

Increasing the minimum wage to $18 an hour will result in salary increases for 639 employees across upstate New York, or about 15 percent of the Health Plan’s total workforce.

Employees receiving raises include about 389 making below $18 an hour and 250 making just above that amount. Many of these employees work in customer service, member enrollment, claims processing, clinical support, provider network credentialing or in the print and mail room.

“As one of upstate New York’s largest nonprofit employers, we’re committed to investing in our employees while also serving as a great place to work,” Reed said. “Pay is important, but we’re also proud of our comprehensive employee benefits, flexible work environment, our strong culture and mission.”

Excellus BCBS employs about 4,000 employees across 39 counties of upstate New York.