Highmark Inc. and its subsidiary companies provide more than $2.1 million to support education programs in Pennsylvania

PITTSBURGH, July 11, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Highmark Inc., in partnership with its subsidiary companies Davis Vision, Gateway Health Plan, Highmark Health Insurance Company, HM Insurance Group, Keystone Health Plan West and United Concordia Dental, recently provided $2.1 million in grants to organizations dedicated to disseminating educational and scholarship programs for youth in Pennsylvania.

The grants were funded through Highmark's subsidiary companies' participation in the Education Improvement Tax Credit program (EITC), part of the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development. This year, Highmark and its subsidiaries provided funding to 231 organizations, with $250,000 toward educational improvement, $1.13 million for scholarship programs and $712,000 for pre-kindergarten scholarships.

"Highmark continuously looks for ways in which we can address the needs of our community," said Dan Onorato, Highmark executive vice president, chief external affairs and communications officer. "The Education Improvement Tax Credit Program allows organizations the ability to carry out innovative programs and carefully distribute the funds where the need is greatest, providing scholarship and advanced academic opportunities for children who otherwise may not have access to such resources."

The EITC program is available to Pennsylvania businesses that pay any one of six specific taxes by submitting an application to the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development in a request to provide grants to the eligible organizations of their choice. For a complete list of the benefiting organizations, please visit the Highmark newsroom.

About Highmark 
Highmark Inc., based in Pittsburgh, is an independent licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association, an association of independent Blue Cross and Blue Shield plans. Highmark serves 4.9 million members in Pennsylvania, West Virginia and Delaware through the company's health care benefits business and is one of the largest Blue plans in the nation. Highmark has 20,000 employees across the country and provides a broad range of health and wellness related services through subsidiary and affiliate companies. For more information, visit www.highmark.com.

SOURCE Highmark Inc.