Blue Cross shutters Quincy office, employees shift to remote work

Published 5:00 pm Friday, April 24, 2026

QUINCY — Friday was the last day for staff working in the Quincy office of Blue Cross Blue Shield of Illinois.

“As part of our ongoing efforts to support the growing needs of our business, some BCBSIL employees will shift from a partially remote work schedule to fully remote work,” the company said in an official statement. “We are consolidating our physical footprint. We remain committed to our employees and the communities we serve and will continue to work in collaboration with local partners to help create healthier communities.”

BCBS IL, a part of Health Care Service Corporation (HCSC), opened the Quincy location the Quincy Development Center in 1988. A decade later, the company had increased its presence in Quincy, employing around 350 people. In 1999, following the company’s merger with BCBS of Texas, an expansion of the office took place, adding room for an additional 175 employees.

Even as the company continued to expand the Quincy office, BCBS began to shift some employees to work-from-home positions even before the pandemic era. The push has increased in recent years.

Social media posts have been made on the office’s closing, but very little official information has come out. Some employees planned a “farewell to the Quincy office” event on Friday evening with nearly 300 responses from those interested in attending.

The majority of employees working under the umbrella of the Quincy office will not see their jobs impacted other than moving to full work-from-home status. However, some staff on the office’s administrative side may no longer have their positions following the 5 p.m. closure on Friday.

Staff impacted by the closure of the physical office will begin the full-time remote work beginning on Monday.

“Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Illinois is committed to our mission of expanding access to quality care for people at all stages of life,” the company’s official statement said. “We continuously evaluate our workforce and business operations to ensure that we are effective and productive as we meet the challenges of an evolving health care industry.”

One immediate impact of the closure came in the form of a Facebook post on Friday by another business sharing space at the Quincy Development Center.

“To our awesome BCBS employees, we will miss you,” the post from Cafe J reads. “Please come back and see us often.”

The restaurant and catering business served a high amount of foot traffic from BCBS employees working just down the hall.

Kyle Moore, state representative and president of the Great River Economic Development Foundation, said that while the closure will shift the landscape of corporate properties in Quincy, keeping the employees local is still a benefit to them and the community.

“Blue Cross Blue Shield currently has around 1,000 team members of the Quincy location who can continue their careers without leaving the Tri-State area,” Moore said.

Moore also noted that the office closure has the possibility of opening space for new occupants to make a home in Quincy.

“(The) shift to remote work creates an opportunity to leverage their available space to recruit a new employer or to help an existing one grow,” he said. “We have already met with the leadership of the Quincy Development Center to develop a plan to maximize the space’s potential.”

Quincy Mayor Linda Moore (no relation to Rep. Moore) said that closing of the physical office wasn’t the best news, the city has already been working alongside GREDF to find the best possible outcome.

“While we are disappointed to hear this news, we are already working closely with GREDF and the Quincy Development Center to identify next steps,” Moore said in her statement.

Moore said that all options are bing looked at, including potential partnership with national call-center firms.

“Our focus remains on maintaining strong employment opportunities and continuing economic growth for our community,” the mayor said.

Sources speaking on background noted that other offices are also being affected, including the company’s Jacksonville location. Additional locations around the state and across the other four states that have Blue Cross Blue Shield plans managed by HCSC – Oklahoma, Texas, Montana, and New Mexico – may be affected by the changes as well.