Highmark Inc. Awarded Pennsylvania Turnpike Contract

CAMP HILL, Pa., Oct. 11, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- The Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission has awarded a three-year health benefits contract to Highmark Inc., effective January 2013. This contract is among the largest statewide group customers for Highmark.  The Pennsylvania Turnpike has been a Highmark customer for many years and Highmark is very pleased to continue the relationship.

"The Turnpike evaluation team reviewed all their options and in the end chose to stay with Highmark, because we deliver valued and quality-focused benefits," said Deborah L. Rice, executive vice president for health services. "Even with many questions remaining around health care reform and a very challenging economy for many industries, the Turnpike decided to continue to provide its employees with quality benefits. This agreement will cover more than 7,000 Turnpike employees, retirees and their dependent members throughout Pennsylvania."

Rice noted that Highmark continues to be the leader in Central Pennsylvania with more than 1 million members in the market and more than 4.1 million statewide. She attributes Highmark's steady membership to superior customer service and overall value for members.

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 companies. 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.

About the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission

The Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission operates and maintains 551 miles of toll roads in the state. It oversees 67 fare collection facilities, 27 maintenance facilities (including five tunnels) and 17 service plazas. With 2,120 employees, the Commission generated $781 million in annual gross revenue from 189.1 million vehicles in fiscal year 2012.  Known as "Americas's First Superhighway," it opened to traffic Oct. 1, 1940 and originally ran 160 miles from Middlesex, Pa., near Carlisle, to Irwin, Pa., east of Pittsburgh.

SOURCE Highmark Inc.