100 Most Influential People in Healthcare - 2024

The Blue Cross Blue Shield Association’s first woman president and CEO, Keck has focused on care affordability. Last year, she launched the Synergy Medication Collective, a unique outcomes-based contracting model that hinged on the purchasing power of more than 100 million people. The collective allowed the 33 Blue Cross and Blue Shield companies composing the federation to cover gene therapies for sickle cell disease. She also led engagement with a drug manufacturer to produce lower-cost generics, resulting in savings of about $4 million on prostate cancer medication for one BCBS company’s members. Keck, at the helm of the organization since 2021, has been instrumental in enacting the BCBSA National Health Equity Strategy. Thanks in part to her leadership, the federation’s companies have more than $1 billion invested in programs addressing housing, food security and other social determinants of health.