NEW YORK (Standard&Poor's) March 29, 2002--Standard&Poor's said today it affirmed its single-'A'-plus counterparty credit and financial strength ratings on health care provider Highmark Inc. (d/b/a Highmark BCBS&PA Blue Shield) despite UPMC Hlth Sys' recent public disclosure that they might not renew Highmark's indemnity and managed-care contracts, due to expire in June 2002, or the SecurityBlue acute care hospital contract due to expire in Dec. 2002. Standard&Poor's also said the outlook is negative. "Because UPMC enjoys a dominant business position and strong brand name recognition in Highmark's core membership region of western Pennsylvania, a nonrenewal of the UPMC Hlth Sys hospital contracts would be highly disruptive in the short term to both Highmark
