WellPoint Appoints Anne Cooke as Vice President and General Manager, National Medicare Part D

INDIANAPOLIS, April 5 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- WellPoint, Inc. announced today the appointment of Anne Cooke as vice president and general manager of National Medicare Part D for WellPoint. In this role, Cooke will be responsible for the management and operations of Medicare Part D enterprise-wide to oversee the continued development and expansion of Medicare Part D product and service capabilities for our valued senior customers.

"Anne brings an exceptional background, company knowledge and strong leadership capabilities to this position," said Susan Rawlings, president of Senior Services for WellPoint. "Her extensive experience in improving the operational and financial performance of reputable organizations will garner us the ability to further expand on our Medicare Part D offerings and services."

Cooke most recently was vice president of Southeast Operations for WellPoint in Virginia. Prior to that role, she was responsible for building and leading an enterprise-wide consultancy focused on improving the processes and performance of WellPoint and its Blue Cross and Blue Shield companies. Before joining WellPoint in 2001, Cooke held a number of executive-level positions across a variety of industries.

Cooke has served on several community boards including Oakwood Healthcare System, The Detroit Economic Club and Southeast Michigan Girl Scouts of America. In addition, she has been recognized by Crain's Detroit Business "100 Most Influential Women." Cooke received her Bachelor of Arts degree in Business Administration from The College of St. Catherine in St. Paul, MN.

About WellPoint, Inc.

WellPoint, Inc. is the largest publicly traded commercial health benefits company in terms of membership in the United States. WellPoint, Inc. is an independent licensee of the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association and serves its members as the Blue Cross licensee for California; the Blue Cross and Blue Shield licensee for Colorado, Connecticut, Georgia, Indiana, Kentucky, Maine, Missouri (excluding 30 counties in the Kansas City area), Nevada, New Hampshire, New York (as Blue Cross Blue Shield in 10 New York City metropolitan counties and as Blue Cross or Blue Cross Blue Shield in selected upstate counties only), Ohio, Virginia (excluding the Northern Virginia suburbs of Washington, D.C.), Wisconsin; and through UniCare. Additional information about WellPoint is available at http://www.wellpoint.com/ .