WellPoint Announces Realignment of Core Businesses; Names New ...( Ken Goulet and Dijuana Lewis Promot...),Health

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INDIANAPOLIS, Oct. 2 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Angela Braly, president and CEO of WellPoint, Inc. (NYSE: WLP), today announced organizational changes that will strengthen the company's ability to focus on and serve its customers. WellPoint is the country's largest health benefits company with nearly 35 million members.

Effective October 15, 2007, the company will be organized around two new strategic business units - a Commercial Business Unit and a Consumer Business Unit. In addition, a new Comprehensive Health Solutions Business Unit will bring together the company's resources focused on optimizing the quality of health care and the cost of care management.

"This simplified, customer-focused structure builds on the strength of our commercial and consumer businesses, and will create additional opportunities for cross-selling medical and specialty products," said Braly. "These changes also emphasize our comprehensive approach to improving the quality, transparency and cost of health care for all of our customers."

Ken Goulet has been appointed president and CEO of the Commercial Business Unit, which will include local group customers (small and large group), National Accounts, UniCare, and Specialty Products (including dental, vision, life, disability, workers' compensation, employee assistance programs and behavioral health). Goulet has more than 26 years of health insurance industry experience in management, sales, operations, strategy and plan execution. In his previous role, Goulet was p
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