The official, Stephen J. Johnson, demanded that the top executives of the state's two largest Blue Cross plans disclose every last nuance about their future pay as Independence Blue Cross and Highmark Inc. pursue a merger.

Base pay, severance pay, bonuses - everything.

The Blues have yet to answer. But how they do is sure to be key in whether the merger goes forward, given that controversies over pay have dashed other mega-mergers.

"It's not surprising that the public is sort of skeptical of these large salaries, because quite often they don't feel the products offered to them are affordable or offer adequate coverage," said Renee Marus Hodin, a lawyer with Community Catalyst, a health advocacy group.

Independence and Highmark say that nothing about executive pay has been made final.

However, "this deal is not driven by executive compensation," Independence Blue Cross spokeswoman Elizabeth Williams said.

She added that neither Independence chief executive officer Joseph A. Frick nor his Highmark counterpart, Kenneth R. Melani, had any financial incentives that would reward them for completing the merger.

In the new company, Melani will be chief executive and Frick will take on the job of chief operating officer.

While mum about future compensation plans, Independence Blue Cross recently disclosed Frick's total pay for the first time.

It revealed that he was paid $1.6 million last year, putting him in the middle for pay among Blue chiefs nationwide.

Melani was paid $3.2 million. That placed him in the top tier among his Blue peers.

The Blues say the pay for Melani and Frick is well-deserved, in line with industry standards, and reflects challenging jobs running big operations with many lines of business.

Critics are skeptical.

"I cannot understand why they are making so much," said Lance Haver, director of Philadelphia's Office of Consumer Affairs. "It would make sense to tie their compensation to how well they serve the public and how affordable the product and how widespread the coverage is."

Haver said the Blues should openly explain how much the merged entity would pay its new executives - and why.

"They are owned by their members, they have a social mission, and that would mean explaining how they arrive at compensation," Haver said.

The firms announced their merger proposal in March. Pennsylvania's insurance commissioner, who has the final say on mergers, says he will not make any decision until next summer, at the earliest.

In August, Johnson, an accountant by training, included the compensation question, among many others, in a formal letter to the companies.

"It's a standard question," said Johnson's boss, Joel Ario, Pennsylvania's acting insurance commissioner.