Type Non-profit Products Health Insurance Founded 22 June 1977 | Industry Healthcare, Insurance Number of employees 19,500 (2012) Parent organization Highmark Health | |
 | ||
Key people Deborah L. Rice-Johnson, President Revenue $14.78 billion (2011) USD CEO David Holmberg (21 May 2014–) Headquarters Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States Subsidiaries United Concordia, Eye Care Centers of America Profiles | ||
Highmark is a non-profit healthcare company based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. It is the largest health insurer in Pennsylvania, and through a purchase in 1996, the largest health insurer in West Virginia and also later Delaware. As Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield, it primarily serves the 29 counties of western Pennsylvania. As Highmark Blue Shield, it serves 21 counties in Central Pennsylvania and the Lehigh Valley. There is also a presence in the border areas of eastern Ohio, and all of West Virginia through its subsidiary, Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield West Virginia. Highmark acquired the largest health insurer in northeastern Pennsylvania, Blue Cross of North East Pennsylvania, BCNEPA, in July 2015. It is currently the largest individual not-for-profit health insurer in the United States, which operates several for-profit subsidiaries.
Contents
Denver roofing understanding hail damage and insurance claims highmark contracting
Company History
Highmark was created in 1977 and in the 1990s by the consolidation of two Pennsylvania licensees of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association — Pennsylvania Blue Shield (now Highmark Blue Shield) based in suburban Harrisburg, and Blue Cross of Western Pennsylvania based in downtown Pittsburgh (now Highmark Blue Cross/Blue Shield). The consolidated group serves 49 of the state's 67 counties. In West Virginia, the company operates as Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield West Virginia, and in Delaware, it operates as Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield Delaware. The new company based its head offices in downtown Pittsburgh and features greatly expanded services.
On March 28, 2007, Highmark announced it intended to consolidate with Independence Blue Cross of Philadelphia. The combination of the 2 insurers would have created a new company with over 18,000 employees, dual-headquarters in both Pittsburgh and Philadelphia and an economic impact of over $4 billion throughout the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. On January 22, 2009, Highmark and Independence Blue Cross withdrew their applications to consolidate due to the unacceptability of conditions that the Pennsylvania Insurance Department was going to place upon the merger: to give up either of their well-known "Blue Cross" or "Blue Shield" trademarks.
In 2011 the company announced it would buy the financially troubled West Penn Allegheny Health System (WPAHS) for about $500 million.
Organizational Structure
Highmark Inc. has several wholly owned for-profit subsidiaries: United Concordia Companies, Inc., a dental insurer; Davis Vision, a provider of managed care vision benefits; Visionworks of America, a vision retail provider offering frames, lens and accessories; and HM Insurance Group, a reinsurer providing stop-loss, limited benefit medical plans, worksite, life, disability, and administrative services.