Merge Not: A Highmark-IBC merger would handcuff health-care reform

With a new administration coming to power in Washington, health-care reform once again has become a critical national priority. It is not a moment too soon.

The United States spends almost twice as much as any other industrialized country for health care. The number of uninsured has reached record levels -- one in seven Americans. Health-insurance premiums have increased by more than 87 percent over the past five years, outpacing the growth of other health-care costs. It seems the players who profit most from the health-care crisis are large health-insurance companies.

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This article was originally published in Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.