Two top executives at Horizon Blue Cross are stepping down

Two executives at the helms of major divisions of Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey are leaving the company, the Newark-based firm confirmed today.

Dr. Richard Popiel, president and chief operating officer of Horizon Healthcare Innovations, will step down in May, a spokesman said. Christy Bell, president and CEO of Horizon Healthcare, the company's statewide HMO, is retiring in July.

Popiel was Horizon's vice president and chief medial officer before the launch of Horizon Healthcare Innovations in 2010. Horizon, the state's largest insurer, formed the subsidiary to develop pilot programs that address quality and cost issues related to the sweeping federal health care reform law that was signed into law that year.

The venture has since launched several programs to improve the economics of health care, including collaborations with orthopedic practices and an initiative aimed at expanding preventative care for Medicaid patients.

Bell, who joined the company in 1996, has overseen a statewide HMO and serves as Horizon's executive vice president of health care management. The organization has about 600,000 members, according to the company website.