Best Health Insurance Company Ratings

Type of Insurance Company: Health Insurance

Name of Parent Company: WellPoint, Inc.

Location: Indianapolis, Indiana.

Company History: WellPoint, Inc. is a publicly traded holding company that operates a variety of health care networks and health care management services and provides an array of specialty health care products including disability insurance, dental coverage, vision coverage, and consumer driven health plans and certain life insurance benefits related to its group health coverages. WellPoint operates through a fleet of over 45 companies and markets its services and products to employers, individuals and seniors. WellPoint, Inc. emerged from numerous mergers among predecessor companies and was formed from the 2004 merger of WellPoint Health Networks, Inc.(created from California based Blue Cross organizations) and Anthem, Inc., (which grew out of two Indianapolis based mutual insurers that eventually merged and became Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Indiana). WellPoint’s Blue Cross and Blue Shield licensed subsidiaries and their affiliates provide a comprehensive range of group and individual health benefit, life and disability plans.

Company Overview: WellPoint 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, New York (as Blue Cross Blue Shield in 10 New York City metropolitan and surrounding counties and as Blue Cross or Blue Cross Blue Shield in selected upstate counties only), Ohio, Virginia (excluding the Northern Virginia suburbs of Washington, D.C.), Wisconsin; and through UniCare.

Principal Methods: WellPoint markets its products through a network of independent agents and brokers as well as through an in-house sales force.

Health Business: WellPoint, Inc. (WellPoint) is a commercial health benefits company serving approximately 34 million medical members as of December 31, 2006. The Company is an independent licensee of the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association (BCBSA), an association of independent health benefit plans. The Company serves its members as the Blue Cross licensee for California and as the Blue Cross and Blue Shield (BCBS), licensee for Colorado, Connecticut, Georgia, Indiana, Kentucky, Maine, Missouri (excluding 30 counties in the Kansas City area), Nevada, New Hampshire, New York, Ohio, Virginia and Wisconsin. The Company also serves its members throughout various parts of the United States as UniCare. WellPoint is licensed to conduct insurance operations in all 50 states and Puerto Rico through its subsidiaries. On June 9, 2005, the Company acquired Lumenos, Inc. On December 28, 2005, the Company completed its acquisition of WellChoice, Inc.

Company Rating:

Best Insurance Reports: 70064

Best Rating: A (The Rating for Most of the Health Subsidiaries)

Company Financial Status:

Ticker Symbol: WLP

Assets & Premiums: WellPoint’s assets at the end of 2006 totaled $51.8 billion and revenues for 2006 were $57.0 billion.

Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield (BCBS) is a health insurance agency serving residents of eleven U.S. states. It provides a variety of health insurance options and is top rated for customer service, responsiveness, and making correct treatment available.

The agency supplies insurance coverage to both employers and individuals. Vision, dental, disability, life, and prescription drug coverage is also available. The health plans include HMO, PPO, HSA, HIA, comprehensive, and Medicare oriented options. Low, medium (such as $2500), and high deductibles are offered.

A convenient feature of the Anthem BCBS web site is that visitors can receive an instant online rate quote, after completing a short form with questions about the potential customer’s age and location. It also supplies very detailed information on each insurance plan’s level of coverage and additional costs.

Connecticut Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield was rated among the best health insurance plans in the nation by the National Committee for Quality Assurance. It rated 7th in the top 250 for 2008, up from 10th in 2007. Anthem’s Maine and N.H. affiliates also rated in the top 20. Results appeared in the U.S. News and World Report.

Overall, the agency makes available a range of policies covering all aspects of health, with different plans that cater to people who have middle or upper income levels (and their employers). It also offers a useful web site and good customer service.