Health Net and Mexican Consulate General Celebrate Opening of ``First-of-its-Kind'' Community Store; Kicks off National Educational Initiative to Educate Latinos on Importance of Health Insurance

"We believe it is important to reach out to underservedpopulations where they shop, work and socialize," said Stephen Lynch,president of Health Net of California. "This new store provides avenue where our customers have access to vital information regardinghealth care."

To help the uninsured understand the need for health insurance,Health Net is launching a national educational initiative withProfMex, a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing informationto Latino immigrants to help them adjust to life in the United States.According to research conducted for Health Net by UCLA and ProfMex,two of the main reasons Latinos remain uninsured are because theydon't know how to purchase health insurance and they don't know whythey need a health plan. Health Net's community store is staffed bycounselors who provide one-on-one service in English and Spanish andhelp consumers select a health plan that best suits their needs.

"We believe it is important to find solutions to close the Latinohealth care gap in California," said Ana Andrade, vice president ofLatino Programs for Health Net. "Given that Latinos account for morethan half of the uninsured population in California, it is criticalthat we increase awareness and understanding of the vital role healthplans play in improving health care access, quality and healthstatus."

The community store is part of the Salud con Health Netinitiative, a comprehensive effort to develop products and servicesthat meet the unique needs of the Latino community. Included in theinitiative are Health Net's Latino-focused products includingMexi-Plan the first individual cross-border health plan, developed inconjunction with the Mexican Consulate.

"I commend Health Net for its steadfast commitment to serve theLatino consumer and in particular for opening this new communitystore, bringing the company closer to the community it serves," saidMexican Consul General Beltran. "We look forward to continuesupporting initiatives such as Mexi-Plan, which provide quality andaffordable health insurance to the Mexican community in Los Angeles,Orange and Ventura counties."

About Health Net

Health Net of California, a subsidiary of Health Net, Inc.(NYSE:HNT), is one of the largest health plans in California, servingnearly 2.3 million members statewide. It contracts with more than51,000 physicians, 300 hospitals and 4,600 pharmacies, giving itsmembers greater choice and more convenient access to care. Itscommercial, POS and Medicare lines of business have received the"Excellent" accreditation status from the National Committee forQuality Assurance. For more information about Health Net, visit itsWeb site at www.healthnet.com.

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