News Releases - January 18, 2005

CHICAGO, Ill – UniCare, a national health insurance company serving 1.6 million members and subsidiary of WellPoint, Inc. (NYSE: WLP), has announced the appointment of David W. Fields as president and CEO. Most recently Fields was general manager of the Consumer Services Division for Blue Cross Blue Shield of Georgia (BCBSGa) responsible for individual, small group (2-50 members), and senior products.

"Fields guided BCBSGa through a period of rapid growth by pushing innovative distribution channel approaches and developing products that better addressed the needs of the state’s insured and uninsured populations," said Keith Faller, president and CEO, WellPoint Central Region. "His background and record of success provide a perfect match for UniCare."

UniCare has built a strong local presence with a broad product portfolio, cost-effective networks and excellent service, and can also effectively serve multi-state accounts.

Fields joined Blue Cross Blue Shield of Georgia in 1997 as regional vice president for the Savannah Region, and thereafter assumed responsibility for the Macon and Albany Regions.

Prior to joining Blue Cross Blue Shield of Georgia, Fields spent 11 years with a regional carrier in Kentucky and Kansas/Missouri, overseeing staff model and network model operations in multiple states. Before that, he was a certified public accountant with Coopers & Lybrand, specializing in hospital and insurance company audits.

Fields has been very active in community affairs, having served on multiple boards, including The American Red Cross, The American Heart Association and The National Conference of Christians and Jews. In 1995, he served as the sole insurance/managed care representative on the late Missouri Governor Mel Carnahan’s Task Force on the Uninsured. He is a 1982 graduate of the University of Louisville with a Bachelor of Science in Commerce-Accounting.

UniCare serves 1.6 million medical members and is an operating subsidiary of WellPoint, Inc., the largest publicly traded commercial health benefits company in terms of membership in the United States. WellPoint offers a broad spectrum of quality network-based health products including open access PPO, POS and hybrid products, HMO and specialty products. Specialty products include pharmacy benefit management, dental, utilization management, vision, mental health, life and disability insurance, long term care insurance, flexible spending accounts, COBRA administration, and Medicare supplements. UniCare can be found on the web at www.unicare.com.