SEIU wants Highmark-UPMC accord

This week, SEIU Healthcare Pennsylvania—the union that represents thousands of nurses, support staff and home-care workers across the state—began airing radio ads urging hospital giant UPMC to come to the table with health insurer Highmark Inc. and asking lawmakers "to intervene and preserve access to UPMC care for Highmark's subscribers." Last week, at a state Insurance Department hearing about Highmark's proposed acquisition of struggling West Penn Allegheny Health System, the SEIU testified that the state should approve the purchase in order to preserve the health system and its 10,000 employees—more than 2,000 of whom are members of SEIU Healthcare.