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<p>Highmark Health took in $570 million more than it spent in 2018, officials said during a teleconference Tuesday, showing &#8220;strong performances&#8221; across all of its companies.</p><p>Total revenue improved by more than $500 million, rising to $18.8 billion. Highmark Health increased its balance sheet, adding $200 million for net assets of $6.7 billion. While he didn&#8217;t give specific numbers, Highmark Health CEO David Holmberg also said the company reduced the consolidated level of debt and pension obligations.</p><p>Holmberg said the overall performance across all business units was &#8220;the second highest in company history, surpassed only by the record results we reported in 2017.&#8221;</p><p>He touted the construction and expansion of health care access, with &#8220;30 new facilities or programs completed or expected to be completed.&#8221; Highmark has &#8220;more than 200 active construction projects, creating an estimated 800 new health care jobs and approximately 10,000 construction and trade labor jobs,&#8221; he continued. &#8220;We are providing greater access regardless of where you live.&#8221;</p><p>He also cited growing partnerships with Johns Hopkins Medicine, Penn State Health and Geisinger. Earlier this month, Highmark announced details of a joint venture with Geisinger that includes new and expanded locations in north-central Pennsylvania counties.</p><p>The company had &#8220;double digit employee growth&#8221; since 2015, Holmberg said, adding nearly 4,500 employees and indirectly supporting 43,000 new jobs.</p><p>He didn&#8217;t break down data for the 13 counties Highmark moved into when it took over Blue Cross/Blue Shield of NEPA. </p><p>But Holmberg had touched upon that issue during an interview earlier this month when the company unveiled a new economic impact study.</p><p>He said then that the study estimated Highmark is creating 1,774 jobs regionally, directly and indirectly. Indirect jobs were calculated using a computer program and public data to derive secondary spending . At that time, Holmberg also said the company&#8217;s regional employment has increased as Highmark moved more operations into the area.</p><p>Asked about the Trump administration urging an appeals court to uphold a lower court ruling declaring the Affordable Care Act unconstitutional, Holmberg expressed confidence Highmark could weather any changes in the political arena.</p><p>Highmark initially struggled to avoid losing money on plans offered through the insurance exchanges set up under the law signed in 2010. In recent years, the company has reported the issue has been stabilized. And Tuesday, Holmberg said people getting Highmark offerings through ACA are seeing smaller increases or even decreases in cost in 2019.</p><p>&#8220;We have the tools in place to navigate it regardless of what happens in Washington,&#8221; Holmberg said. &#8220;We&#8217;re ready to play whatever hand we&#8217;re dealt.&#8221;</p><style>
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<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Mark Guydish</p><p>mguydish@www.timesleader.com</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Reach Mark Guydish at 570-991-6112 or on Twitter @TLMarkGuydish</p></shirttailMeta></div>

Highmark Health execs: Another big year in profits, expansion