Health Net to Sell Medicare Stand-Alone Prescription Drug Plan Business to CVS Caremark for Approximately $160 Million

LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Health Net, Inc. (NYSE:HNT) today announced that its subsidiary, Health Net Life Insurance Company, has entered into a definitive agreement to sell its Medicare stand-alone Prescription Drug Plan (Medicare PDP) business to a subsidiary of CVS Caremark (NYSE:CVS) for approximately $160 million in cash.

Health Net expects to realize approximately $140 million in net cash proceeds from the transaction, after the effect of freed-up capital, taxes and transaction- and transition-related costs.

The transaction, subject to customary closing conditions and applicable regulatory approvals, including approval from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), is expected to close in the second quarter of 2012.

Health Net has approximately 400,000 Medicare PDP members in 49 states and the District of Columbia. Health Net’s annualized revenue for the Medicare PDP business is approximately $490 million.

Health Net will continue to provide prescription drug plans as part of its Medicare Advantage plan offerings.

“We believe this proposed transaction is in the best interests of our Medicare PDP members and our stockholders,” said Jay Gellert, president and chief executive officer of Health Net. “Our Medicare PDP members, who have received certain services from CVS Caremark for five years, will now be affiliated with one of the nation’s largest Medicare PDP sponsors.

“Given our ongoing relationship with CVS Caremark, we are confident that the transition of members will proceed smoothly with no disruption in services,” Gellert added.

“In addition, we expect to redeploy the proceeds from this transaction in ways that will benefit Health Net stockholders,” noted Gellert.

About Health Net

Health Net, Inc. is a publicly traded managed care organization that delivers managed health care services through health plans and government-sponsored managed care plans. Its mission is to help people be healthy, secure and comfortable. Health Net provides and administers health benefits to approximately 6.0 million individuals across the country through group, individual, Medicare (including the Medicare prescription drug benefit commonly referred to as “Part D”), Medicaid, Department of Defense, including TRICARE, and Veterans Affairs programs. Health Net’s behavioral health services subsidiary, Managed Health Network, Inc., provides behavioral health, substance abuse and employee assistance programs to approximately 5.0 million individuals, including Health Net’s own health plan members. Health Net’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 Health Net’s website at www.healthnet.com.

Cautionary Statements

Health Net, Inc. and its representatives may from time to time make written and oral forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act (“PSLRA”) of 1995, including statements in this and other press releases, in presentations, filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”), reports to stockholders and in meetings with investors and analysts. 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 intended to be covered by the safe harbor for “forward-looking statements” provided by PSLRA. These statements are based on management’s analysis, judgment, belief and expectation only as of the date hereof, and are subject to changes in circumstances and a number of risks and uncertainties. Without limiting the foregoing, statements including the words “believes,” “anticipates,” “plans,” “expects,” “may,” “should,” “could,” “estimate,” “intend,” “feels,” “will,” “projects” and other similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. Actual results could differ materially from those expressed in, or implied or projected by the forward-looking information and statements due to, among other things, health care reform and other increased government participation in and regulation of health benefits and managed care operations, including the ultimate impact of the Affordable Care Act, which could materially adversely affect Health Net’s financial condition, results of operations and cash flows through, among other things, reduced revenues, new taxes, expanded liability, and increased costs (including medical, administrative, technology or other costs), or require changes to the ways in which Health Net does business; rising health care costs; continued slow economic growth or a further decline in the economy; negative prior period claims reserve developments; trends in medical care ratios; membership declines; unexpected utilization patterns or unexpectedly severe or widespread illnesses; rate cuts and other risks and uncertainties affecting Health Net’s Medicare or Medicaid businesses; any liabilities of the Northeast business that were incurred prior to the closing of its sale as well as those liabilities incurred through the winding-up and running-out period of the Northeast business; litigation costs; regulatory issues with federal and state agencies including, but not limited to, the California Department of Managed Health Care, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, the Office of Civil Rights of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and state departments of insurance; operational issues; failure to effectively oversee our third party vendors; noncompliance by Health Net or Health Net’s business associates with any privacy laws or any security breach involving the misappropriation, loss or other unauthorized use or disclosure of confidential information; investment portfolio impairment charges; volatility in the financial markets; 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 Health Net’s most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K and subsequent Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q filed with the SEC and the risks discussed in Health Net’s other filings with the SEC. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements. Except as may be required by law, Health Net undertakes no obligation to address or publicly update any of its forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances that arise after the date of this release.



CONTACT:

Health Net, Inc.
Investor Contact:
Angie McCabe
818-676-8692
[email protected]
or
Media Contact:
Margita Thompson
818-676-7912
[email protected]

KEYWORDS:   United States  North America  California

INDUSTRY KEYWORDS:   Health  Hospitals  Pharmaceutical  Other Health  Professional Services  Insurance  General Health  Managed Care

MEDIA:

Logo
 Logo