WellPoint Ranked 2nd in BusinessWeek Poll of Nation’s Top Performers

Indianapolic-based WellPoint, Inc. has been named to the BusinessWeek 50, the magazine’s annual list of the 50 top-performing companies in the Standard & Poor’s 500. WellPoint ranks No. 2 on the 2006 list, which appears in the April 3 issue of BusinessWeek.

BusinessWeek referenced WellPoint’s overall growth in membership, its efforts to sign up new members in the company’s Medicare Part D products, its focus on reaching out to the uninsured with affordable products, and its stock price appreciation, according to the written release issued by WellPoint.

“This recognition by BusinessWeek is another indication that our focus on customer service, improving the quality of health care our members receive and doing everything we can to help hold down the rising cost of health care are the right things to do,” said Larry C. Glasscock, chairman, president and CEO of WellPoint, Inc. “Our vision to transform health care and become the most valued company in our industry will continue to guide us going forward.”

BusinessWeek identifies the 50 top-performing companies by capturing the dynamic nature of strong growth from companies in the S&P 500 stock index. Ten performance metrics are analyzed including sales and earnings growth over 12 month and three-year periods, net profit margins, return on equity, long-term earnings prospects, debt-to-capital ratio and shareholder returns for 12
month and three-year periods.

WellPoint was also recently named one of America’s Most Admired Companies by Fortune magazine, ranking third among health care companies.

WellPoint, Inc.identifies itself as 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 in numerous states.

Information about WellPoint is available at http://www.wellpoint.com

Source: WellPoint, Inc