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Juanell Hefner Named President of MHN

^{Published on 2008-11-17 06:20:27 - Market Wire}
 

SAN RAFAEL, Calif.--([ BUSINESS WIRE ])--Health Net, Inc. (NYSE:HNT) today announced it has named Juanell Hefner president of its behavioral health subsidiary, MHN (Managed Health Network), effective today.

Hefner, 46, formerly MHN's chief operating officer, succeeds Steven Sell, who was recently named president of Health Net of California, Inc.

"We are fortunate to have the right leader at the right time for our company," said Steven Tough, president of Health Net's Health Plans and Government Programs division. "During the past five years with Health Net, Juanell has consistently inspired remarkable results. And in the past 18 months at MHN, she has taken ownership of the company's ‘It's about you' value promise by implementing operational improvements that directly enhance members' experiences. Juanell is not only a driving force, but she's also the ideal leader to maximize the company's exceptional momentum."

MHN is a national provider of managed behavioral health care and employee assistance programs to commercial and government clients. "I'm so proud to work with MHN because of the important work we do," stated Hefner. "We understand that personal issues directly impact workplace performance – whether we're helping a soldier upon return from Iraq or a spouse confronting domestic violence – we're improving lives. It's incredibly rewarding."

About Health Net

Health Net, Inc. is among the nation's largest publicly traded managed health care companies. Its mission is to help people be healthy, secure and comfortable. The company's health plans and government contracts subsidiaries provide health benefits to approximately 6.7 million individuals across the country through group, individual, Medicare, Medicaid and TRICARE and Veterans Affairs programs. Health Net's behavioral health subsidiary, MHN, provides mental health benefits to approximately 7.0 million individuals in all 50 states. The company's subsidiaries also offer managed health care products related to prescription drugs, and offer managed health care product coordination for multi-region employers and administrative services for medical groups and self-funded benefits programs. For more information on Health Net, Inc., please visit the company's Web site at [ www.healthnet.com ].

About MHN

MHN is one of the largest and oldest providers of managed behavioral health care and employee assistance programs (EAPs) in the United States, serving nearly 10.5 million members. Based in San Rafael, Calif., MHN provides individual and workplace solutions ranging from EAPs and behavioral health care to integrated disease management and wellness programs. MHN's provider network includes more than 44,000 practitioners and 1,400 hospitals and care facilities throughout the United States. For more information, visit [ www.mhn.com ].

Cautionary Statements

All statements in this press release, other than statements of historical information provided herein, may be deemed to be forward-looking statements and as such are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties. These statements are based on management's analysis, judgment, belief and expectation only as of the date hereof, and are subject to uncertainty and changes in circumstances. Without limiting the foregoing, statements including the words "believes," "anticipates," "plans," "expects," "may," "should," "could," "estimate," "intend" and other similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. Actual results could differ materially due to, among other things, rising health care costs, negative prior period claims reserve developments, additional investment portfolio impairment charges, changes in the economy, volatility in the financial markets, trends in medical care ratios, unexpected utilization patterns or unexpectedly severe or widespread illnesses, membership declines, rate cuts affecting our Medicare or Medicaid business, issues relating to provider contracts, litigation costs, regulatory issues, operational issues, health care reform and general business and market conditions. Additional factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those reflected in the forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, the risks discussed in the "Risk Factors" section, included within the company's most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K and subsequent quarterly reports on Form 10-Q filed with the SEC. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements. The company undertakes no obligation to publicly revise any of its forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances that arise after the date of this release.