*This email is intended for producers in Delaware, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia
HIGHMARK AND HEALTHNOW NEW YORK RECEIVE AFFILIATION APPROVAL
Today, Highmark Health and HealthNow New York announced their affiliation approval and that it is effective. You can read the press release here.
Highmark Health is now the primary licensee of the Blue Cross Blue Shield brand in eight western New York counties and 13 northeastern New York counties. These regions will officially be known as Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield of Western New York and Highmark Blue Shield of Northeastern New York.
Here are some key messages regarding the affiliation
- Bringing us together will enable HealthNow to take advantage of our resources, tools and advanced technologies, while delivering on Highmark’s growth strategy to reinvent health care for the betterment of our community.
- The communities served by HealthNow will benefit from the continued presence of a local, mission-driven health care company.
- The affiliation transition process will take several months and will enable us to extend our approach of creating a better health care system that works for consumers and clinicians.
- In the near term, there will be no changes in product designs for members with coverage from Blue Cross Blue Shield of Western New York or Blue Shield of Northeastern New York.
- With its strong track record of building successful relationships and affiliations in Delaware, West Virginia and northeastern Pennsylvania, Highmark understands how to ensure members receive the benefits of additional resources and breadth of offerings while preserving the local identity and focus of regional, mission-driven companies.
- Throughout 2021 and beyond, we intend to offer new health care coverage options – following both state and federal regulatory guidelines and timelines for filings. New commercial health plans could be filed as soon as this summer. Our government plans have a longer runway and will not see changes until at least 2022.
- Certainly, we will continue to provide you any relevant updates throughout the affiliation process.
You can also reference these FAQs, or reach out to your Producer Strategy Consultant for more information.
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