Lou Gianquinto, president of Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield in Connecticut since 2020, oversees the state’s largest health plan, which covers around 1 million residents.
The insurer serves customers across individual and group markets, including both self-insured and fully insured employers.
Gianquinto this year announced two new multiyear agreements with major health systems. The most recent, with Yale New Haven Health, renewed Anthem’s contract with the state’s largest hospital network, ensuring members retain in-network access to its hospitals, facilities and medical providers.
The agreement emphasizes reducing hospital readmissions through data-driven care coordination, evidence-based treatment and stronger patient follow-up. It also promotes the use of urgent care centers as a more cost-effective alternative to emergency departments for minor or non-acute conditions.
The other agreement, reached earlier this year, kept Stamford Hospital and its affiliated facilities in Anthem’s network. The deal followed several months of uncertainty after the previous contract expired at the end of 2024.
In recent years, Gianquinto and his team have been involved in difficult contract negotiations with hospitals and physician groups, reflecting industrywide pressure to slow the growth of healthcare costs.
Anthem was recently approved for an average 13.6% rate increase in 2026 on individual health plans covering about 83,790 people, with hikes ranging from 6.1% to 22.5%. It also received an average 11.2% increase for small-group plans covering roughly 48,600 residents.
The company has continued to expand its community footprint through partnerships, including a multiyear sponsorship agreement with the WNBA’s Connecticut Sun.
Gianquinto, a Connecticut native, earned a bachelor’s degree from Southern Connecticut State University and an MBA from the University of New Haven. His earlier career included positions at UnitedHealthcare, Oxford Health Plans and Missouri Care.