Anthem, the parent company of Georgia’s largest health insurer, announced Wednesday it would open a new technology hub in Atlanta in a move that will create 1,800 jobs over several years.
At a news conference at the State Capitol with Gov. Nathan Deal said the parent company of Blue Cross Blue Shield of Georgia occupy space in Bank of America Plaza. The positions will involve software and corporate jobs.
Deal said Anthem adds to the roster of high-tech companies planting tech development centers in Georgia.
“No wonder we are called the Silicon Valley of the South,” the governor said.
The economic development project would be the second large jobs announcement by Anthem in Georgia this year. In February, the company announced it would add 450 call center and customer care jobs through 2017 in Columbus.
Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Georgia is the state’s largest health insurance company. Anthem has more than 70 million customers across its various subsidiaries.
The move follows recent tech announcements by Honeywell and NCR.
Georgia has more than 200 health care IT companies, according to the Institute for Healthcare Information Technology, an industry group allied with the Metro Atlanta Chamber and state economic development department.
Major players include Athenahealth and McKesson Technology Solutions.
In April 2015, not-for-profit health care giant Kaiser Permanente announced plans for a new technology center in Midtown where it plans to employ 900. The Kaiser jobs included software development and cybersecurity positions.
