INDIANAPOLIS, Sept. 23 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- WellPoint, Inc. today announced that the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) awarded contracts to WellPoint affiliated companies to offer Medicare Part D Prescription Drug Plans (prescription drug plans) to eligible Medicare beneficiaries in all 50 states. As a result, WellPoint will provide a number of prescription drug plans that should enhance affordability, increase access and provide exceptional value for Medicare beneficiaries nationwide.
WellPoint will offer these plans to customers through its subsidiaries across the country, as well as provide administrative services for Part D offerings through its pharmacy benefits management companies WellPoint Pharmacy Management and Anthem Prescription Management. The company has collaborated with leading health plans in Kansas City, Kansas, Massachusetts, Rhode Island and Vermont and Virginia to offer a portfolio of prescription drug plans in those states. In addition, WellPoint has partnered with other organizations such as Mennonite Mutual Aid and a major health plan in Mississippi to offer UniCare Medicare Part D prescription drug plans to their members. All prescription drug plans will cover both brand name and generic drugs and can be purchased independently or in conjunction with an existing health coverage plan.
“We believe that supporting nationwide solutions for Medicare beneficiaries is imperative to helping meet the overall immediate and future health care needs of our country,” said Joan Herman, president and chief executive officer, Specialty, Senior and State Sponsored Business for WellPoint, Inc. “We look forward to offering a diverse portfolio of Medicare Prescription Drug Plans that will deliver important value to individuals who are working to manage their prescription drug costs, as well as support employers who are looking for solutions to their retiree health care needs.”
Additionally, CMS announced that a number of WellPoint subsidiaries have been approved to offer new Medicare Advantage Regional products, including the newly created Medicare Advantage Regional PPO (Regional PPO). The new PPO products will be offered in California, Indiana, Kentucky and Ohio effective Jan. 1, 2006, and will be available in every county in each of these states. “These plan offerings create improved access and choice for Medicare beneficiaries throughout these states, and in particular for those in rural areas,” Herman stated. CMS has also approved a new local Medicare Advantage PPO offering in select counties of Virginia.
WellPoint will complement its prescription drug plan offerings with an extensive educational program designed to help consumers understand the various components to these new plans. This will be done through multiple venues, providing information that may help seniors, their families, caregivers and employers select the benefit option that matches their needs and resources. Additional information about these new plans will become available in the next few weeks.
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 and 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, Ohio, Virginia (excluding the Northern Virginia suburbs of Washington, D.C.), Wisconsin; and through HealthLink and UniCare. Additional information about WellPoint is available at http://www.wellpoint.com .
WellPoint, Inc.
CONTACT: Media: Kellie Bernell, +1-805-557-6755, Chip Palazzo,+1-216-643-0101, or Investor Relations: Tami Durle, +1-317-488-6390, all ofWellPoint, Inc.
Web site: http://www.wellpoint.com/
