The Highmark campus in East Pennsboro Township in Cumberland County. Photo credit: Minick Photography/Highmark.Highmark Health on Wednesday reported strong financial results for the first quarter of 2023, saying health plan membership grew, and so did volume at the hospitals it owns.Highmark, although based in based Pittsburgh, has a major impact in central Pennsylvania.
That helps give an unusual level of health care choice to central Pennsylvania residents, who have access to hospitals and physician practices owned by UPMC, Penn State Health and WellSpan.Highmark Health said it took in $6.7 billion in revenue during the first quarter, resulting in net income of $227 million.
Highmark Health said its health and dental insurance plans gained members during the quarter, and the AHN hospitals saw volume gains A Highmark Health executive attributed the hospital volume gains to patients getting health care that was deferred during the COVID-19 pandemic, which brought a period where elective surgeries were canceled to preserve capacity for COVID-19 patients, and many people avoided hospitals to avoid catching COVID-19.Highmark Health says it’s the biggest health insurer, in terms of numbers of people covered, in Pennsylvania as well as Delaware, West Virginia and western New York.