Health Net's 'Take Care' Medicare Advantage Program Provides Member Advocates for Seniors

Health Net of the Northeast, Inc., the largest provider of Medicare Advantage plans in Connecticut, today unveiled its new "Take Care” program that features a dedicated unit of health care advocates for its Medicare members. A variety of other new program features have also been added to the company’s Medicare plans, most at no extra cost beyond the monthly plan premium. These features include: Health Risk Questionnaire – to help identify a specific plan of support for chronic illness with educational materials and direct contact with an experienced case manager. Member Assist – to provide support for mental and physical well-being. Services include emotional and behavioral health consultations, elder care resources, and coaching, daily living resources and referrals. Healthy Lifestyles Education Program – available to members with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), asthma, diabetes, coronary artery disease (CAD) and heart failure, this program puts members in touch with a dedicated nurse who will provide ongoing education, coaching, coordination and advocacy. "It’s Your Life” Wellsite – available 24/7 at www.healthnet.com and powered by WebMD, this site provides telephone access to Health Coaches to answer health questions. There also is a Treatment Cost Advisor database that lists services typically needed for common medical conditions along with an estimated cost range for those services and medication. Members also can access Health Net’s Hospital Comparison Report to receive an independent analysis of area hospitals, including their clinical outcomes, patient volume and rankings based on a variety of patient criteria. The goal of the "Take Care” program is to provide satisfying issue resolution through personalized and proactive interactions between Medicare members and Health Net. To assure this experience, Health Net has enhanced critical member services to meet the following criteria for every member: Provide a human touch; Offer issue resolution and quick turnaround; Minimize confusion and maximize logic and clarity; and Simplify the experience. "Our members demand reassurance that everything we do is designed specifically to meet their needs,” said Steve Calabrese, head of Senior Programs for Health Net of the Northeast, Inc. "We do this by removing the anxieties associated with health care and simplifying their lives.” Operationally, for example, this means speeding up the resolution of coverage issues and providing access to registered nurses for chronic conditions. Also new is wider access to pharmacy technicians to assist with brand name drug alternatives. To smooth the transition from hospital to home-based, skilled nursing or long-term care facilities, Health Net also offers a specialized Transition Team. "Nothing is more important than your health. When you are healthy you want to stay healthy. And when you are sick or have a chronic condition, you want to be surrounded by support from people you can trust,” said Calabrese. "We embrace this consumer-centric promise to our members through ‘Take Care.’” To help keep our promise to members, advocates guide members through all of the new and existing programs developed for Medicare members. This will help to ensure that those members with complex health issues understand how to access case managers and other support services available to them. Another example can be seen in Health Net’s pharmacy services. The pharmacy team will work to ensure that Medicare members gain a full understanding of drug options and alternative therapies. Health Net Medicare Advantage plans are available throughout Connecticut and consist of 12 distinctive products for 2008, including Individual and Group Medicare Advantage plans, Private Fee-for-Service (PFFS), and Medicare Prescription Drug Plan stand-alone coverage (commonly known as "Part D” plans). "We have been meeting the health care needs of seniors and people with disabilities in Connecticut for more than 20 years,” said Steve Nelson, president of Health Net of the Northeast, Inc. "As a result, we have acquired a deep reservoir of trust and a keen understanding of our Medicare members’ needs.” As of June 30, 2007, Health Net had approximately 43,000 members enrolled in Medicare Advantage Plans and 11,000 members enrolled in Medicare Part D (stand-alone) programs in Connecticut. Information about Health Net’s plans is available by calling 877-224-8870 or TYY 888-747-2424, or on the Web site www.abetterdecision.com. About Health Net Health Net, Inc. (NYSE:HNT) is among the nation’s largest publicly traded managed health care companies. Its mission is to help people be healthy, secure and comfortable. The company’s health plans and government contracts subsidiaries provide health benefits to approximately 6.6 million individuals across the country through group, individual, Medicare, Medicaid and TRICARE and Veterans Affairs programs. Health Net’s behavioral health subsidiary, MHN, provides mental health benefits to approximately 7.0 million individuals in all 50 states. The company’s subsidiaries also offer managed health care products related to prescription drugs, and offer managed health care product coordination for multi-region employers and administrative services for medical groups and self-funded benefits programs. For more information on Health Net, Inc., please visit the company’s Web site at www.healthnet.com. Cautionary Statements Health Net, Inc. and its representatives may from time to time make written and oral forward-looking statements, including statements contained in news releases, in Health Net’s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, in the company’s reports to shareholders and in meetings with investors and analysts, within the meaning of Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, that involve a number of risks and uncertainties. All statements, other than statements of historical information provided herein, may be deemed to be forward-looking statements. These statements are based on management’s analysis, judgment, belief and expectation only as of the date hereof, and are subject to uncertainty and changes in circumstances. Without limiting the foregoing, the words "believes,” "anticipates,” "plans,” "expects,” "may,” "should,” "could,” "estimate,” "intend” and other similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. Actual results could differ materially due to, among other things, rising health care costs, negative prior period claims reserve developments, trends in medical care ratios, issues relating to provider contracts, litigation costs, operational issues, health care reform and general business conditions. Additional factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those reflected in the forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, the risks discussed in the "Risk Factors” section included within the company's most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K and subsequent Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q filed with the SEC. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements. The company undertakes no obligation to publicly revise these forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances that arise after the date of this release.