Who owns highmark

Description: Visionworks is a leading provider of eye care services in the U. Products and Services: Prescription eyeglasses and contact lenses; eyewear services including exams. Leadership: James. Description: Davis Vision provides comprehensive, managed vision care coverage through a national provider network that includes 47, points of access for its customers.

Description: United Concordia Companies Inc. Leadership: Michael W. Sullivan, CEO, and F. Description: The companies within the HM Insurance Group work to protect businesses and their employees across the nation from the financial risks associated with health costs.

Customers: Benefits brokers, consultants and third party administrators on behalf of group policyholders; providers; managed-care entities. Products and Services: Health risk solutions including stop loss, managed care reinsurance and workers' compensation insurance.

Highmark Inc. Products and Services: Individual and group health insurance; Medicare Advantage plans for seniors. Leadership: Deborah L. While AHN began operations in , AHN's member hospitals share legacies of charitable care that date back more than years.

Products and Services: Integrated health care delivery, health care research, medical education, wellness services. Description: HM Health Solutions HMHS delivers business solutions to health plan payers so they can run their organizations efficiently in a competitive and ever-changing market.

By offering cutting-edge technology and leading industry knowledge, HMHS meets the many operational needs of health plan payers. Description: HM Insurance Group companies work to protect businesses and their employees from the financial risks associated with catastrophic health care costs. With 23 offices across the nation, HM Insurance Group companies are among the country's top stop loss carriers. Customers: Benefits brokers, consultants and third party administrators on behalf of group policyholders; providers; managed care entities.

Description: United Concordia Companies, Inc. Products and Services: Dental solutions, including insurance products and services. Leadership: F. It also introduced "direct-pay" coverage for individuals who were self-employed or otherwise ineligible for participation in a group plan.

Blue Cross also encouraged the development of the Medical Services Association of Pennsylvania to provide prepaid coverage for physician fees. This agreement provided uniform Blue Cross and Blue Shield benefits to companies and unions whose operations extended across state lines. Blue Cross' goal was to provide quality health care to all Pennsylvanians. Unlike many other insurers, Blue Cross continued coverage to its subscribers after they retired.

Over the years, Blue Cross began acquiring noninsurance businesses in addition to providing insurance coverage, and in , the organization changed its name to Veritus Inc. Enrollment declined in World War II as many members left the state to support the war. Arthur Daugherty replaced Palmer as president in and recruited new, larger accounts, including the United Mine Workers and the Congress of Industrial Organizations. In , MSAP became a chapter of the national Blue Shield association, which was started that year by the medical societies.

MSAP recruited the , employees of United States Steel in , which brought its total enrollment to more than 1. Despite the organization's large client base, it had trouble keeping up with its payments to doctors and was forced to raise premiums. The commission suggested that MSAP control costs rather than continue to raise premiums. In response, MSAP formed a utilization control unit the following year to help keep track of expenses. Two years later, the organization began managing the federal government's Medicare insurance plan for the state's elderly and also started the Special plan to supplement Medicare coverage.

In the s, the organization again fell behind in its payments to doctors. Rates were once again increased and expenses were scrutinized. Pennsylvania Blue Shield faced serious competition in the s from newly formed health maintenance organizations HMOs within the state. Despite physicians' protests and state regulators' concerns, Pennsylvania Blue Shield merged with Veritus in The new company chose the name Highmark Inc. The merger of Pennsylvania Blue Shield with Veritus, formerly Blue Cross of Western Pennsylvania, was highly controversial, giving Highmark a staggering 60 to 65 percent of the total market share in Western Pennsylvania.

The approval of the merger by the state insurance commission on November 27, shocked those who opposed it. The approval was not without contingencies, however. Kaiser also stipulated that Highmark stay nonprofit for at least two years after its creation. His approval was also contingent upon Highmark providing continued coverage to the poor.

In addition, Highmark also could not demand exclusivity from any hospital it contracted. The newly merged Blues had a total enrollment of roughly 2.

Pittsburgh's next largest insurer, HealthAmerica, had only , members. While Highmark brandished a great deal of power, its first year was not an easy one. The organization posted sizable losses in for its most popular product, the Select Blue health plan. To offset the losses, Highmark launched a plan to entice employers to offer Select Blue as the only point-of-service POS plan for employees. To compensate for the underperforming Select Blue, Highmark cut costs and expanded its dental and vision health care programs.