INDIANAPOLIS and NEW YORK, Jan. 3 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- WellPoint, Inc. today announced the leadership team for the East Region, which includes business operations in New York, Connecticut, New Hampshire, Maine, Virginia and Georgia.
"We've created an organizational model for our East Region that allows us to remain locally focused in our respective markets, yet allows us to leverage WellPoint's broad national presence by operating enterprise-wide whenever this enables us to provide enhanced customer service, improved operations and better efficiency," said Larry C. Glasscock, Chairman, President and CEO for WellPoint, Inc.
As previously announced by the company, Michael Stocker, M.D., will serve as president and CEO for the newly created East Region, serving on the company's executive leadership team and reporting to Glasscock. The company's East Region headquarters is located in New York City.
Effective today, the following individuals report to Dr. Stocker with responsibility for membership growth, marketing and product development, provider contracting and relations, sales and underwriting in their respective markets:
-- Dijuana Lewis, president, Northeast Markets (Connecticut, New Hampshire and Maine). Ms. Lewis has had oversight for the Northeast Region since August 2005. Prior to that she was responsible for health care management in the Northeast Region. She joined the company in 1994.
-- Tom Byrd, president, Virginia Market. Mr. Byrd has had oversight for the Virginia business operations since May 2005. Prior to the Anthem- WellPoint merger, he served as president for Anthem's Specialty business and before served as the chief financial officer for the Virginia plan. He joined the company in 1991.
-- Caz Matthews, president, Georgia Market. Ms. Matthews has had oversight for the company's Georgia operations since December 2004. Prior to that she managed the company's business operations in Colorado and Nevada. She joined the company in 1988.
-- Jason Gorevic, president, New York Market. Previously, Mr. Gorevic served as the chief sales and marketing officer for WellChoice. He joined the company in 2002.
-- Gloria McCarthy, senior vice president and chief operating officer. She has oversight for Operations Management, Actuarial and the Medical Management unit for the East Region. Previously she served as executive vice president and chief operating officer for WellChoice. She joined the company in 1974.
-- Trevor Reeves, vice president and chief financial officer for the East Region. Previously he served as vice president and chief financial officer for WellPoint's Northeast Region, joining the company in 2004.
"Our new East Region is structured to reinforce our customer-focused business practices," said Dr. Stocker. "The talents of this leadership team and our East Region associates reinforce our focus on delivering affordable health benefits products, information and services to our members, so they can make informed decisions about their health and health care."
About WellPoint, Inc.
WellPoint, Inc. is the largest publicly traded commercial health benefits company in terms of membership in the United States. WellPoint, Inc. 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 (10 downstate counties and selected upstate counties), Ohio, Virginia (excluding the Northern Virginia suburbs of Washington, D.C.), Wisconsin; and through HealthLink and UniCare. Additional information about WellPoint is available at http://www.wellpoint.com/ .
SAFE HARBOR STATEMENT UNDER THE PRIVATE SECURITIES LITIGATION
REFORM ACT OF 1995
This filing contains certain forward-looking information about WellPoint, Inc. ("WellPoint"), WellChoice, Inc. ("WellChoice") and the combined company after completion of the transactions that are intended to be covered by the safe harbor for "forward-looking statements" provided by the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements are statements that are not historical facts. Words such as "expect(s)", "feel(s)", "believe(s)", "will", "may", "anticipate(s)" and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. These statements include, but are not limited to, financial projections and estimates and their underlying assumptions; statements regarding plans, objectives and expectations with respect to future operations, products and services; and statements regarding future performance. Such statements are subject to certain risks and uncertainties, many of which are difficult to predict and generally beyond the control of WellPoint and WellChoice, that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed in, or implied or projected by, the forward-looking information and statements. These risks and uncertainties include: those discussed and identified in public filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC") made by WellPoint (formerly Anthem, Inc.), WellPoint Health Networks Inc. ("WellPoint Health") and WellChoice; trends in health care costs and utilization rates; our ability to secure sufficient premium rate increases; competitor pricing below market trends of increasing costs; increased government regulation of health benefits and managed care; significant acquisitions or divestitures by major competitors; introduction and utilization of new prescription drugs and technology; a downgrade in our financial strength ratings; litigation targeted at health benefits companies; our ability to contract with providers consistent with past practice; other potential uses of cash in the future that present attractive alternatives to share repurchases; our ability to achieve expected synergies and operating efficiencies in the WellPoint Health merger within the expected time-frames or at all and to successfully integrate our operations; such integration may be more difficult, time-consuming or costly than expected; revenues following the transaction may be lower than expected; operating costs, customer loss and business disruption, including, without limitation, difficulties in maintaining relationships with employees, customers, clients or suppliers, may be greater than expected following the transaction; our ability to consummate WellPoint's merger with WellChoice, to achieve expected synergies and operating efficiencies in the merger within the expected time-frames or at all, to meet expectations regarding repurchases of shares of our common stock and to successfully integrate our operations; such integration may be more difficult, time-consuming or costly than expected; revenues following the transaction may be lower than expected; operating costs, customer loss and business disruption, including, without limitation, difficulties in maintaining relationships with employees, customers, clients or suppliers, may be greater than expected following the transaction; the regulatory approvals required for the transaction may not be obtained on the terms expected or on the anticipated schedule; our ability to meet expectations regarding the timing, completion and accounting and tax treatments of the transaction and the value of the transaction consideration; future bio-terrorist activity or other potential public health epidemics; and general economic downturns. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements that speak only as of the date hereof. Neither WellPoint nor WellChoice undertakes any obligation to republish revised forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances after the date hereof or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events. Readers are also urged to carefully review and consider the various disclosures in WellPoint's and WellChoice's various SEC reports, including but not limited to Annual Reports on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2004 and Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q for the reporting periods of 2005.
