First Annual Health Net Cup Virtual Bowling Tournament Crowns a Champion

The first annual Health Net Cup, a series of virtual bowling tournaments held at senior centers across the country, has come to the end of its first statewide competition in Connecticut. Torrington Senior Center’s ‘Lightning Strikes’ team advanced to the ‘final four’ and won the championship title, defeating teams from Enfield, Hamden, and Colchester senior centers. Torrington’s team earned bragging rights as the best virtual bowling team in the state, taking home a trophy and a Wii™ Fit for their senior center.

Health Net, Inc. (NYSE:HNT) organized the statewide tournament and donated a Nintendo Wii™ video game system to each of the 90 senior centers that participated to encourage ongoing healthy lifestyles and wellness in the senior community.

"We are very excited that the tournament has grown to be so popular,” said Katy Zalinsky, General Segment Manager, Government Programs at Health Net, Inc. "It’s a great activity where seniors can socialize with each other and get some exercise.”

The senior centers directors and tournament participants were so enthusiastic about the Heath Net Cup, they requested Health Net to make it an annual event. As a result, the Connecticut Health Net Cup tournament will continue in January 2009, using a regionalized playoff format. Health Net also plans to introduce similar statewide tournaments in Arizona, Oregon, California and New Mexico next year. For continued Health Net Cup tournament updates, visit the official Web site at www.healthnetcup.com.

Over 600 Connecticut seniors participated in the Health Net Cup in the following communities:

Hartford County

Granby, Suffield, Glastonbury, Southington, West Hartford, East Hartford, Plainville, Bristol, Newington, Wethersfield, Windsor, Windsor Locks, Simsbury, South Windsor, Avon and Berlin.

Tolland County

Hebron, Stafford, Willington, Mansfield and Vernon.

New Haven County

Wolcott, Waterbury, Cheshire, Naugatuck, Middlebury, Madison, Meriden, Guilford, East Haven, New Haven, West Haven, Orange, Milford, Seymour, Ansonia, Derby, Bethany, Woodbridge, North Branford, Hamden, Wallingford, Southbury and Oxford.

Fairfield County

Danbury, Newtown, Monroe, Shelton, Stratford, Bridgeport, Bethel, Westport, Weston, Wilton, Ridgefield, Norwalk, Redding, Ridgefield, New Canaan, Stamford, Greenwich and Trumbull.

Litchfield County

Woodbury, Watertown, Harwinton, Torrington and New Milford.

Windham, Middlesex and New London Counties

Plainfield, Portland, Westbrook, Old Saybrook, East Haddam, Middletown, Montville, Lisbon, Colchester, Lyme, East Lyme, Groton, New London, Waterford and Norwich.

Information about Health Net’s Medicare Advantage plans is available on the Web site, www.abetterdecision.com, or by calling 800-903-0944. (TTY/TTD users can call 800-929-9955).

About Health Net

Health Net of the Northeast, Inc., headquartered in Shelton, Conn., employs approximately 1,800 associates in Connecticut, New Jersey and New York. Health Net of the Northeast, through its subsidiaries, offers full-service health plans that serve nearly one million members in the tri-state area. The Northeast health plans offer a wide array of products including: Health Maintenance Organization (HMO), Point-of-Service (POS), Preferred Provider Organization (PPO), third-party administration, Medicare and Medicaid.

With a physician network comprising more than 90,000 physician and provider office locations, Health Net is one of the largest health plans in the northeast, offering a full array of open-access products and coordination for multi-region employers.

Health Net of the Northeast is a subsidiary of Health Net, Inc. (NYSE:HNT). 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., visit: www.healthnet.com.