The chief executive officer of Blue Cross North Carolina has resigned amid pressure from the state’s top insurance regulator after the executive’s DWI charge.

Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina, the state’s dominant health insurer, said in a statement late Wednesday that the company’s board requested and received Dr. Patrick Conway’s resignation.

The statement attributed to the company’s board said that they engaged outside lawyers and other experts to examine the June 22 crash on Interstate 85 in Randolph County immediately after it happened. It said it asked for his resignation after more investigative material surfaced.

“As a mission-driven organization, BlueCross NC is committed to doing business with honesty, integrity and fairness. The details that recently emerged related to Dr. Conway’s arrest depict behavior that falls short of our standards,” the board said in the statement released around 11 p.m. Wednesday.

The board has named Gerald Petkau, who has served as chief operating officer, as interim CEO, effective immediately.

The board’s decision came hours after the state’s insurance commissioner asked Conway to step down. State Insurance Commissioner Mike Causey said he’d learned of Conway’s arrest from a news report and accused Blue Cross of trying to conceal what happened.

Court records show Conway was charged with driving while impaired and misdemeanor child abuse following a June 22 crash. No one was injured, but Conway’s two daughters were in the car. He has a hearing next month.

An investigative report of the accident obtained by WRAL-TV and written by the Archdale police investigating officer said Conway had bloodshot eyes and a strong odor of alcohol at the scene and became “absolutely belligerent” at the police department.

After the board announced his resignation, Conway issued a statement saying he’s “ashamed, embarrassed and sorry about my actions.” He said he disclosed what happened to the company immediately and completed an inpatient substance abuse treatment program.

Blue Cross and Blue Shield also administers the health insurance plan for hundreds of thousands of North Carolina state employees, teachers, retirees and their families. The company announced Tuesday that it would put on “temporary hold” its previously announced combination with Cambia Health Solutions. The two not-for-profit companies insure more than 6 million people combined in North Carolina, Oregon, Utah, Idaho and Washington.

Related Stories
‹
Aetna Picked To Operate North Carolina Employee Health Plan
Written by GARY D. ROBERTSON Insurance giant Aetna will administer North Carolina’s health coverage plan for state government employees, teachers, retirees and their family members starting in 2025, the State Treasurer’s Office announced Wednesday. The company won the contract and will replace Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina, which the State Health Plan said has […]
Largest N Carolina Health Insurer Wants Obamacare Rate Cuts
North Carolina’s largest health insurer says it’s figured out how to make money after six years of selling subsidized policies under the Affordable Care Act and wants to cut average premiums by more than 5% for individuals and 3% for small businesses. Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina said Wednesday it’s asking regulatory […]
Medicaid Expansion Won't Begin in North Carolina on Oct. 1 Because There's Still No Final Budget
Written by GARY D. ROBERTSON With the state budget’s passage now two months late, North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper’s administration announced Monday that it can’t start the implementation of Medicaid expansion to hundreds of thousands of low-income adults in the early fall as it had wanted. State Health and Human Services Secretary Kody Kinsley said that […]
N. Carolina Governor Signs Medicaid Expansion Bill Into Law
Written by GARY D. ROBERTSON North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper on Monday signed a Medicaid expansion law that was a decade in the making and gives the Democrat a legacy-setting victory, although one significant hurdle remains before coverage can be implemented, thanks to a Republican-backed provision. At an Executive Mansion ceremony attended by hundreds, Cooper […]
Lawyer Defends North Carolina’s Transgender Care Exclusions
Written by HANNAH SCHOENBAUM A lawyer representing the leaders of North Carolina’s state employee health plan defended its exclusion of gender-affirming treatments on Wednesday before a federal appeals court, facing a barrage of criticisms from its chief judge. State Treasurer Dale Folwell and the State Health Plan’s executive administrator are seeking to overturn a trial court […]
NC Retiree Health Insurance Case Left Unsettled by Top Court
Written by GARY D. ROBERTSON A decadelong legal fight over whether retired government workers were wronged when North Carolina stopped offering them a more generous level of premium-free health insurance remained unsettled after Friday’s ruling by the state Supreme Court. A majority of justices did agree that the former state employees and teachers had a […]
Health Care Obligations for NC Retirees Before Supreme Court
Written by GARY D. ROBERTSON North Carolina’s highest court weighed Monday whether the legislature’s decision 10 years ago to begin charging some retired state government workers and teachers a premium for health insurance violated an agreement the state made with these workers. The courts didn’t immediately rule following oral arguments in the case, which could […]
Costs Watched as Medicaid Managed Care Begins in N. Carolina
Written by GARY D. ROBERTSON After six years of preparations and delays, most of North Carolina’s Medicaid recipients switched over to managed care Thursday with its developers hopeful the changes will mean improved health outcomes and controlled costs. “It’s been a long time coming,” said Rep. Donny Lambeth, a Forsyth County Republican who helped pass […]
Former NC Blue Cross CEO Found Guilty of DWI, Child Abuse
The former CEO of Blue Cross Blue Shield North Carolina was found guilty Tuesday of charges stemming from a car crash on an interstate while his two daughters were in the vehicle. Patrick Conway was found guilty of driving while impaired and misdemeanor child abuse, news sources reported. Court records show Conway was charged after […]
North Carolina Blue Cross CEO Resigns After DWI Charge
The chief executive officer of Blue Cross North Carolina has resigned amid pressure from the state’s top insurance regulator after the executive’s DWI charge. Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina, the state’s dominant health insurer, said in a statement late Wednesday that the company’s board requested and received Dr. Patrick Conway’s resignation. The […]
›