Benefits firms worry about two Pennsylvania insurers’ merger

Philadelphia Inquirer, July 1, 2008

Harry Kovar, chief executive officer of WellNet Healthcare Inc., is worried about the proposed merger between Pennsylvania health insurers Highmark Inc. and Independence Blue Cross. Kovar says he thinks the proposed merger, which would create Pennsylvania's largest health insurer, might well have the ability to push pharmacy-benefits management businesses like his right to the sidelines. Kovar will testify on the merger during the Pennsylvania Insurance Department's public hearings, and he will urge the department to forbid the companies from "bundling," even if it does allow the merger.