The Buffalo News
HealthNow New York is the biggest health insurer in Western New York, but it’s small fry compared to the industry giants nationwide.
And on Tuesday, it succumbed to the pressure that many smaller companies face in highly competitive industries.
The parent of BlueCross BlueShield of Western New York agreed Tuesday to join forces with a much larger health insurer out of Pittsburgh, in a bid to gain the scale it needs to stay competitive, while retaining its separate identity as a local nonprofit Blues plan and continuing to serve its home communities.
HealthNow announced Tuesday morning that it would affiliate with Highmark Health Inc., a $19 billion nonprofit that operates BlueCross and BlueShield plans in Pennsylvania, Delaware and West Virginia, as well as diversified businesses nationwide.