Kari Hedges

Kari Hedges is senior vice president of Market Solutions at the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association (BCBSA), a national federation of 34 independent, community-based and locally operated Blue Cross and Blue Shield (BCBS) companies. Today, one in three Americans is covered by the Blue System.

Hedges is responsible for BCBSA’s market segment strategies, national solutions spanning commercial, government, individual and labor lines of business, and curating BCBS national data assets. BCBSA’s national solutions support the success of BCBS companies in local and national markets through leading provider network programs, seamless operations between BCBS companies and leveraging data to transform healthcare. Hedges is also focused on addressing future market demands, including product and program development.

Hedges leads numerous initiatives to provide convenient, personalized and affordable experiences for members and providers. These include BlueCard® Modernization, an initiative to transform BlueCard services, the interoperable system between BCBS Plans that enables access to healthcare for members across the nation, into an integrated, cloud-based service platform; Blue High Performance NetworkSM (BlueHPNSM), a new national network launched in 2021 in response to market demands for an alternative to PPO network solutions; and Blue Distinction, a suite of national solutions raising the quality of care being delivered across the country. She also leads several teams focused on operations, ongoing program development and coordination of care performance for Medicare Advantage.

Hedges joined the Association in 1996, concentrating primarily on national BCBS inter-Plan business. She earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Kentucky and an M.B.A. from the University of Notre Dame.