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Leading Health Insurer Teams With Local Doctor/Hospital Network to Offer New Health Plan With Potential of Lowering Cost

Posted on: Monday, 26 June 2006, 18:00 CDT

Valley Preferred, a community partnership of doctors and hospitals, has allied with HealthAmerica(R) and HealthAssurance(R) (HealthAmerica), one of Pennsylvania's leading health insurance companies, to create a new regional health coverage plan that comes with the potential for lower cost.

"The cost of employee health plans remains the #1 concern of companies across America," said Gregory Kile, executive director of Valley Preferred. "This new plan is structured to address that concern for Lehigh Valley employers in a meaningful way."

Starting July 1, 2006, Harrisburg-based HealthAmerica will start offering this new plan--named "Lehigh Select"--which provides access to over 900 doctors and three Lehigh Valley Hospital campuses located within Valley Preferred's core geographic network, as well as other benefits unique to this coverage plan.

"We look forward to collaborating with Valley Preferred to provide a comprehensive, and cost-effective, health care management program for employers in the Lehigh Valley," said Robert L. Dawson, president and chief executive officer of HealthAmerica. "As health care costs continue to rise, businesses need to take creative steps to ensure they are getting the most value for their health care dollars. Lehigh Select is an innovative approach to help employers control their heath care costs."

The Lehigh Select plan was designed to provide HealthAmerica's Lehigh Valley-based subscribers with strong health care support at a lower cost. According to Kile, plan savings vary with each individual's needs.

Lehigh Select is a three-tiered plan that offers subscribers lower out-of-pocket costs when they visit one of the 900 Valley Preferred providers who participate with the Lehigh Select plan. A second-tier option of the Lehigh Select plan offers access to even more local doctors and hospitals, albeit at additional out-of-pocket cost to the subscriber. This tier includes all the doctors and hospitals offered in the HealthAmerica network.

Lower out-of-pocket costs and less paperwork are benefits of either plan choice, according to print material targeted to local employers which states: "And whether they choose select providers with Valley Preferred, or HealthAmerica and HealthAssurance participating providers, your employers will have lower, or no, deductibles to meet, no claim forms, and no referrals to specialists."

Both companies bring strong track records in their respective health coverage specialties.

HealthAmerica has been in business over 30 years and is regularly recognized for upholding high quality standards, promoting provider choice and superior customer service, maintaining financial security, and creating innovative solutions. It provides health coverage for over 700,000 members through 12,000 employer groups across Pennsylvania. It has earned consistent "B++ (Secure)" ratings from insurance-ranking authority A.M. Best, as well as being named among the "Top Fifty Fastest Growing Companies" in Central Pennsylvania for the past three consecutive years, and was ranked among the top 40 health plans in the country by U.S. News & World Report. Company products also received "Excellent" accreditation from the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) for 12 consecutive years.

Now in its 13th year, Valley Preferred has grown to become one of Pennsylvania's leading preferred provider organizations, serving over 6,600 clients and providing care for more than 180,000 subscribing members, according to stats published in its Spring, 2006 newsletter.

Because Valley Preferred is a partnership of doctors and hospitals based here in the Lehigh Valley, it brings greater focus on the doctor/patient relationship that is at the heart of better health care, according to Valley Preferred's Kile. "All good health care starts locally. Here in the Lehigh Valley, we have over 289 primary care physicians, 614 specialists, and leading clinical care institutions. Together, they form a well-organized, integrated network focused on a single goal: delivering better health care right here in our community," Kile said. "And while the people, products, and resources of this network are strong, the fundamental reason we have this strength is because of our respect for the value of the doctor/patient relationship. We've always been focused on that fact and it's one of the reasons why leading health insurers like HealthAmerica want to ally with Valley Preferred to better serve their plan subscribers here in our home market."

"HealthAmerica understands the importance of establishing strong partnerships and delivering innovative health care services for our health plan members. By forming this alliance with Valley Preferred, we are teaming up with an organization that shares our focus on improving health and managing costs through quality, cost-effective care," said Mr. Dawson of HealthAmerica. "We expect this relationship to result in outstanding care and service for our members, while controlling costs."

Among the unique benefits offered in the new Lehigh Select coverage plan will be enhanced services under Valley Preferred's Corporate Health Enhancement Programs which promote healthier lifestyles among employees through onsite company education events and wellness monitoring. Employees will also receive initial counseling services on a cost-free basis through Preferred EAP, a premier regional Employee Assistance Program.

About HealthAmerica

HealthAmerica Pennsylvania, Inc., has a 30-year record of providing health care benefits. HealthAmerica, HealthAssurance Pennsylvania, Inc., and affiliate companies cover over 700,000 members in Pennsylvania and Ohio through PPO, POS, HMO, Medicaid, and Medicare Advantage plans. In addition, HealthAmerica offers a product for individuals and families who are not eligible for employer-sponsored health care benefits, Medicare, or Medicaid, called HealthAmericaOne. HealthAmerica earned an "Excellent" Accreditation for its HMO plan and HealthAssurance earned an "Excellent" Accreditation for the HealthAssurance POS by the National Committee for Quality Assurance, an independent, non-profit organization dedicated to measuring the quality of America's health care. With corporate offices in Pittsburgh and Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, HealthAmerica and HealthAssurance provide managed health care products and services to over 12,000 employers in Pennsylvania and Ohio. HealthAmerica and its affiliates employ over 1,500 people in Pennsylvania. For more information, visit HealthAmerica's website at www.healthamerica.cvty.com.

HealthAmerica and HealthAssurance are subsidiaries of Coventry Health Care, Inc., a national managed health care company based in Bethesda, Maryland operating health plans, insurance companies, network rental / managed care services companies, and workers' compensation services companies. Coventry provides a full range of risk and fee-based managed care products and services, including HMO, PPO, POS, Medicare Advantage, Medicare Prescription Drug Plans, Medicaid, Workers' Compensation and Network Rental to a broad cross section of individuals, employer and government-funded groups, government agencies, and other insurance carriers and administrators in all 50 states as well as the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico. More information is available on the Internet at www.cvty.com and www.firsthealth.com.

About Valley Preferred

Valley Preferred is a community partnership of doctors and hospitals which links local businesses and individuals with contracted health insurers, and through its Corporate Health Enhancement Programs provides health and wellness initiatives promoting healthier lifestyles. With a network of more than 3,300 doctors and 19 leading hospitals throughout Eastern Pennsylvania, Valley Preferred currently cares for more than 180,000 members and represents more than 6,600 clients. For more facts, visit www.valleypreferred.com.

This press release may contain forward-looking statements, made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, relating to future events or future financial performance. Actual performance may be significantly impacted by certain risks and uncertainties, including those described in Coventry Health Care, Inc.'s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2005, as filed with the SEC.

Source: Business Wire

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