Highmark
 | |
| Type | Not-For-Profit |
|---|---|
| Industry | Healthcare, Insurance |
| Founded | June 22, 1977 |
| Headquarters |
Fifth Avenue Place Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania |
| Key people |
William Winkenwerder, Jr., President & CEO J. Robert Baum, Board of Directors |
| Products | Health Insurance |
| Revenue |
 $14.78 billion (2011) USD |
| Employees | 19,500 (2012) |
| Website | www.highmark.com |
Highmark is a not-for-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 services 21 counties of 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 has a stake in the largest health insurer in northeastern Pennsylvania as well, Blue Cross of North East Pennsylvania BCNEPA. It is currently one of the largest not-for-profit health insurers in the United States which owns several for-profit subsidiaries.
Organizational Structure
Highmark, Inc
- Highmark Health Services
- Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield (Western PA)
- Highmark Blue Shield (Central PA)
- Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield West Virginia
- Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield Delaware
- Allegheny Health Network
- Allegheny General Hospital
- Allegheny Valley Hospital
- Canonsburg General Hospital
- Forbes Regional Hospital
- Jefferson Regional Medical Center
- Saint Vincent Hospital
- Western Pennsylvania Hospital
- Diversified Businesses
- United Concordia (Dental)
- Davis Vision (Vision)
- Visionworks of America (Vision)
- Viva International Group (Vision)
- HM Insurance Group (Health-related Insurance)
- The Highmark Foundation
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 now 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. In 2011 the company announced it would buy the financially troubled West Penn Allegheny Health System (WPAHS) for about $500 million.
Subsidiary Business
There are several wholly owned for-profit subsidiaries of Highmark. These include United Concordia Companies, Inc., a dental insurer; Davis Vision, a provider of managed care vision benefits; Viva, a designer and distributor of eyeglass frames and sunglasses; Eye Care Centers 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.
Community Involvement
Highmark is most notably mentioned for its Healthy High 5 Initiative - a pledge by Highmark of $100 million to help combat childhood obesity, and enable more individuals to live longer, healthier lives.
Highmark has consistently contributed charitably to organizations throughout the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Highmark awarded a $25 million pledge to the Penn State University so a new children's hospital can be built in Hershey, Pennsylvania.
In 2010, Highmark developed the Highmark Blue Shield Living Legacy Series to celebrate the 150th anniversary of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. The series includes oral histories from 150 Harrisburg residents, using the ground-breaking Digital Video Library (DVL) technology created and pioneered by Carnegie Mellon University. Among the Harrisburg 150 are Pedro Cortes (Pennsylvania's longest serving Secretary of State), Graham Hetrick (Dauphin County Coroner) and many more. These histories represent an encompassing cross-section of personal stories that provide Harrisburg its unique character.
Consolidation with Independence Blue Cross
On March 28, 2007, Highmark announced that it intended to consolidate with Independence Blue Cross of Philadelphia. The combination of these insurers would have created a new company with over 18,000 employees, with dual-headquarters in both Pittsburgh and Philadelphia. The new company would have had 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. This was due to the unacceptability of conditions that the Pennsylvania Insurance Department was going to place upon the merger .
Individual And Family Plans
Highmark offers five personal plans to residents of Western Pennsylvania. They are PPOBlue, AdvancedBlue, SimplyBlue, DirectBlue and Community Blue. A temporary plan is also available. Comprehensive, high-deductible and short-term coverage can be purchased with many available deductible options.
