Pam Kehaly

Pamela "Pam" Kehaly is an American health insurance executive who serves as President and Chief Executive Officer of Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona (AZ Blue), the state's largest locally-owned health insurer. With more than 30 years of experience in the health insurance industry spanning Blue Cross of California, Aetna, and Anthem, Inc., she is recognized as a prominent leader in both the Arizona business community and the national healthcare industry.

Early life and education

Kehaly earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration from California State University, Stanislaus. In 2024, she received an Honorary Doctorate from Northern Arizona University (NAU) — the university's highest academic honor — in recognition of her distinguished service to the healthcare industry and the state of Arizona.

Career

Blue Cross of California (1986 onward)

Kehaly began her career in 1986 at Blue Cross of California, where she held a variety of roles spanning operations and profit-and-loss management.

Aetna

Before returning to the Blue Cross and Blue Shield system, Kehaly served as President of National Accounts at Aetna, where she was responsible for nine million members across Aetna's West Region National Accounts division.

She ultimately served as President of Anthem's West Region — encompassing affiliated Blue Cross and/or Blue Shield health plans across eight states (California, Colorado, Indiana, Kentucky, Missouri, Nevada, Ohio, and Wisconsin) — and its Specialty business lines, including dental, vision, life, disability, workers' compensation, and voluntary benefits. In this capacity, she was responsible for approximately $20 billion in annual revenue.

The venture attracted CalPERS — the second-largest buyer of health benefits in the country, representing more than 1.3 million state and local government employees — as an early adopter. Kehaly announced Vivity would offer premiums lower than existing market rates, with no deductibles, and a network of 6,000 doctors and 14 hospitals.

In 2016, Kehaly was selected as a featured panelist at Modern Healthcares Issue Briefing in San Diego, titled "From Volume to Value," alongside the CEOs of Scripps Health and Sharp Healthcare.

Patient Safety First

Kehaly was also a senior leader in Patient Safety First (PSF), a collaborative involving Anthem, the National Health Foundation, and California's regional hospital associations. In its first three years, PSF's work helped reduce early elective deliveries and hospital-acquired infections, contributing to an estimated 3,576 fewer deaths and more than $63 million in avoided unnecessary costs.

Under her leadership, AZ Blue — which employs more than 3,200 people and serves more than 2 million members — rose to the number one market share position in Arizona, achieving 23% growth by emphasizing consumer-focused strategy and company culture. The company has been recognized on Modern Healthcares Best Places to Work in Healthcare list, with Kehaly directly quoted in Modern Healthcares 2024 feature on the award, and named a Most Admired Company by Arizona Business Magazine.

In 2020, Becker's published a feature interview with Kehaly on the evolving relationship between payers and hospitals during the COVID-19 pandemic, in which she called for greater government, payer, and hospital collaboration.

COVID-19 vaccination effort

Kehaly mobilized BCBSAZ's workforce to help launch two state-run COVID-19 vaccination sites. Over a three-month period, BCBSAZ managed more than 145,000 volunteer hours and helped facilitate more than 491,000 vaccines for Arizonans.

Prosano Health Solutions

In 2023, BCBSAZ launched Prosano Health Solutions, a care delivery subsidiary operating Advanced Primary Care Centers across Arizona. The launch was covered by Fierce Healthcare. By 2024, Prosano's nine clinic locations were reporting outcomes including 28% fewer emergency room visits and 15% fewer hospitalizations among enrolled members compared to non-Prosano commercial members, with cost savings of approximately $130 per member per month and a 95% net promoter score from patients.

Public service and civic involvement

Kehaly was appointed by the Governor of Arizona and confirmed by the Arizona State Senate to serve as a member of the Arizona Board of Regents', the governing board for Arizona's three public universities (Arizona State University, Northern Arizona University, and the University of Arizona).

She has also served on U.S. Senator Mark Kelly's Health Advisory Board, Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego's Go Bond Commission, and Arizona Secretary of State Adrian Fontes' business advisory board.

Board memberships and affiliations

Kehaly has served on a number of corporate, nonprofit, and advisory boards, including:

Chair, Greater Phoenix Leadership Board of Directors, Arizona Commerce Authority (including Executive Committee) Board of Directors, UNS Energy Board of Trustees, Arizona Multiple Sclerosis Foundation Board of Directors, Translational Genomics Research Institute (TGen) Board of Directors, National Institute for Health Care Management (NIHCM) Board of Directors, Phoenix Police Reserve Foundation Board of Directors, HealthCorps Board of Directors, TriWest Healthcare Alliance Board of Directors, Geisinger Health Advisory Board, Schaeffer Center for Health Policy and Economics, University of Southern California Member, CCI Inc.

Recognition and awards

Year Award / Recognition Awarding Organization 2017+ Most Admired Leaders Phoenix Business Journal 2017+ Most Influential Women in Arizona Arizona Business Magazine 2021 Leader of the Year Arizona Capitol Times 2024 Honorary Doctorate Northern Arizona University 2025 50 Most Powerful People in Arizona Business Az Business Magazine / AZ Big Media