Health Net Reports Third Quarter 2004 Net Income Of $.64 Per Diluted Share; Commercial Premium Increases And Administrative Ratio Decline Drive Sequential Earnings Improvement

Health Net, Inc. (NYSE:HNT) today announced 2004 third quarter net income per diluted share of $.64 compared with a net loss of $.02 per diluted share in the third quarter of 2003 and earnings of $.36 per diluted share in the second quarter of 2004.