WellPoint Recognized as a Top Employer by Three National Publications

INDIANAPOLIS, Nov. 24, 2010 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ -- WellPoint, Inc. (NYSE: WLP) is pleased to announce that it has been recognized as a top employer by three prominent national publications.

WellPoint was recognized this month as one of the Top Military Friendly Employers by G.I. Jobs magazine; ranked as top five employer by CAREERS & the disABLED Magazine; and a 2011 Diversity Leader by Profiles in Diversity Journal.

"WellPoint is honored to receive recognition from all three of these important publications," said Linda Jimenez, Chief Diversity Officer and staff vice president, Diversity & Inclusion, WellPoint, Inc. "We believe this recognition is reflective of our long-standing commitment to a diverse and vibrant workforce. WellPoint continues to innovate and implement diversity and inclusion policies that expand opportunities for our associates and allow WellPoint to more effectively conduct business and communicate with members in our affiliated health plans. Our membership is diverse and a diverse group of associates allows us to best deliver on our mission of improving the health of our members and our communities. WellPoint is grateful for these awards and we will continue to strive to improve diversity and inclusion at WellPoint, as well as among the businesses with whom we collaborate."

WellPoint's unique approaches, including its Associate Resource Groups (ARGs) and its diversity ambassador program, are part of the reason for its continued national recognition in diversity. WellPoint's ARGs are voluntary, associate-driven groups open to all WellPoint associates. These groups center around one of the many dimensions of diversity --most commonly race, gender, cultural background, disabilities, sexual orientation and generation. ARGs are considered a key initiative to attract, retain and develop diverse talent; build a culture of inclusion; leverage internal diversity expertise; enhance customer connections, and provide leadership development opportunities for associates.

WellPoint also has more than 200 associates who are diversity and inclusion ambassadors from different business units and job levels that reflect the diversity of the associate population. Ambassadors act as frontline advocates and role models of WellPoint's values and commitment to diversity and inclusion. These, along with many other initiatives allow WellPoint to continue being on the forefront of organizational inclusion and diversity strategies.

Profiles in Diversity Journal is a bi-monthly magazine focusing on diversity/inclusion in business, government, healthcare, non-profit, higher education and military settings. The focus of the Journal is on senior leadership, best practices, benchmarking, workforce diversity strategies, recognition of employee contribution, and features about what makes organizations great.

The G.I. Jobs Military Friendly Employers(R) list, in its eighth year, serves as the primary benchmark of corporate recruiting programs aimed at veterans. The annual survey conducted by G.I. Jobs magazine is one of the primary tools used to determine the nation's most Military Friendly Employers(R).

CAREERS & the disABLED Magazine, established in 1986, is the nation's first and only career-guidance and recruitment magazine for people with disabilities who are at undergraduate, graduate, or professional levels. Each issue features a special Braille section.

About WellPoint, Inc.

WellPoint works to simplify the connection between Health, Care and Value. We help to improve the health of our communities, deliver better care to members, and provide greater value to our customers and shareholders. WellPoint is the nation's largest health benefits company, with more than 33 million members in its affiliated health plans, and a total of more than 69 million individuals served through all subsidiaries. As an independent licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association, WellPoint serves 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 the Blue Cross Blue Shield licensee in 10 New York City metropolitan and surrounding counties and as the Blue Cross or Blue Cross Blue Shield licensee in selected upstate counties only), Ohio, Virginia (excluding the Northern Virginia suburbs of Washington, D.C.), and Wisconsin. In a majority of these service areas, WellPoint does business as Anthem Blue Cross, Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield or Empire Blue Cross Blue Shield (in the New York service areas). WellPoint also serves customers throughout the country as UniCare. Additional information about WellPoint is available at http://www.wellpoint.com/.

SOURCE WellPoint, Inc.