Input on Blues merger ends Sept. 30
The Pennsylvania Insurance Department will close its public comment period Sept. 30 on the proposed merger of Independence Blue Cross and Highmark Inc., clearing the way for a decision as early as December.
The Pennsylvania Insurance Department will close its public comment period Sept. 30 on the proposed merger of Independence Blue Cross and Highmark Inc., clearing the way for a decision as early as December.
The department had originally planned to end public comment at the end of August, requiring also that the two Blues submit answers to all the department's questions by then.
The two insurers completed most of their submissions earlier this month, opening the door now for comment on their answers.
On Wednesday, Philadelphia-based Community Legal Services, filing on behalf of advocacy groups here and in Pittsburgh opposed to the merger, criticized the insurers' executive compensation as excessive and the insurers' plans to cover the uninsured as inadequate.