Highmark Direct to Celebrate Grand Opening of Robinson and South Hills Stores

PITTSBURGH, Aug. 9 /PRNewswire/ -- Highmark Inc. will open the doors of two new Highmark Direct retail stores this month in the Robinson and South Hills areas of Pittsburgh.

The Highmark Direct West location at Lafayette Plaza Shopping Center, 218 Summit Park Drive, will celebrate a grand opening on Saturday, Aug. 14 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The Highmark Direct South location at Norman Center II, 1775 North Highland Road, will host its grand opening on Saturday, Aug. 28 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. An additional Highmark Direct location is planned for Monroeville and will open in the fall.

At the grand openings, families and individuals can stop in at the Highmark Direct stores to participate in fun activities such as photos with mascots from local sports teams, Dance Dance Revolution competitions and more. Customers will also have the opportunity to talk with the Highmark Direct staff about their health insurance questions.

Highmark is the only health insurer to operate retail stores in Pennsylvania. The company opened its first Highmark Direct stores in March 2009 in Pittsburgh's McKnight Seibert Shopping Center and in Harrisburg's Silver Spring Square. During the first year of operation, the stores had more than 20,000 visitors and provided health insurance to thousands of Pennsylvanians and their families.

"Because of recent health care reform legislation, health insurance is one of the most talked about – and arguably one of the most confusing topics in the nation right now – which is why the stores are such an important asset to the Pittsburgh community," said Kenneth R. Melani, M.D., Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield president and CEO. "The stores give individuals the ability to talk face-to-face with a representative, discuss their options and become a more educated health care consumer."

Highmark Direct locations are open Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. To schedule an appointment at the Pittsburgh-area stores, contact:

412-544-5400 (Highmark Direct North)

412-544-4900 (Highmark Direct West)

412-544-5276 (Highmark Direct South)

Highmark Direct offers consumers in Highmark's service area the opportunity to meet one-on-one with a health insurance specialist to discuss their health insurance options and their benefits as a Highmark member. The stores sell health insurance plans to individuals, seniors and small businesses. iDental(SM), a dental insurance product of United Concordia Dental, a Highmark subsidiary, was recently launched in the store and is designed to cover routine dental care.

For more information, visit https://www.highmark.com/hmk2/about/newsroom/2010/pr080910.shtml.

A press kit about the Highmark Direct retail stores, including a map of the locations, is available at

https://www.highmark.com/hmk2/about/newsroom/presskits/consumerism.shtml.

SOURCE Highmark Inc.