WellPoint Statement on CMS Action

INDIANAPOLIS, Jan. 12 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Over the past six months,
WellPoint, Inc. (NYSE: WLP) has been working with The Centers for Medicare and
Medicaid Services (CMS) to resolve issues identified as a result of our
internal compliance audits and findings from a recent CMS audit. Our work
included detailed action plans, which were reviewed and approved by CMS to
remediate such findings. In addition, we engaged an independent third party to
provide CMS with on-going assessments regarding our compliance, including
verification of systems, processes and procedures.

We are working closely with CMS, and marketing and enrollment of the company's
Medicare Advantage and Medicare Part D products have been suspended until
remediation efforts have been completed. Since we have been meeting with CMS
on a regular basis regarding our remediation process, we were surprised by
this recent action.

We have made significant progress in addressing these issues. Our plan is to
continue to work with CMS to make improvements as expeditiously as possible
and we will continue to put the resources of our company behind this effort to
help ensure we can meet the needs of our Medicare members.

CMS' actions do not impact members currently enrolled in our Medicare
products. We take member access to benefits and member safety very seriously
and we have put processes in place to help ensure that our members get their
medications and are being billed correctly.

About WellPoint, Inc.

WellPoint is committed to improving the lives and health of the people and
communities we serve by simplifying the connection between health, care and
value. Our goal is to help shape the impact each health care decision has on
individuals, the health care system at-large, and our communities. WellPoint's
more than 42,000 associates work every day to help create the best health care
value for our customers. Through collaborations with providers and with
innovative programs, WellPoint's affiliated health plans reward healthy
lifestyles and quality, safe and effective care. As the nation's largest
health benefits company, with more than 35 million members in its affiliated
health plans, WellPoint is at the center of the health care system. This
position provides us with the relationships and insights needed to help create
affordable and actionable solutions that improve health care.

As an independent licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association,
WellPoint serves 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 (as the Blue Cross Blue Shield licensee in 10
New York City metropolitan and surrounding counties and as the Blue Cross or
Blue Cross Blue Shield licensee in selected upstate counties only), Ohio,
Virginia (excluding the Northern Virginia suburbs of Washington, D.C.),
Wisconsin; and through UniCare. Additional information about WellPoint is
available at www.wellpoint.com.

SAFE HARBOR STATEMENT UNDER THE PRIVATE SECURITIES LITIGATION REFORM ACT OF
1995

This document contains certain forward-looking information about us that is
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 generally historical
facts. Words such as "expect(s)", "feel(s)", "believe(s)", "will", "may",
"anticipate(s)", "intend", "estimate", "project" and similar expressions are
intended to identify forward-looking statements, which generally are not
historical in nature. 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 our control, 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 our public
filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, or SEC; increased
government regulation of health benefits, managed care and PBM operations;
trends in health care costs and utilization rates; our ability to secure
sufficient premium rate increases; our ability to contract with providers
consistent with past practice; competitor pricing below market trends of
increasing costs; reduced enrollment, as well as a negative change in our
health care product mix; risks and uncertainties regarding the Medicare Part C
and Medicare Part D Prescription Drug benefits programs, including potential
uncollectability of receivables resulting from processing and/or verifying
enrollment (including facilitated enrollment), inadequacy of underwriting
assumptions, inability to receive and process correct information,
uncollectability of premium from members, increased medical or pharmaceutical
costs, and the underlying seasonality of the business; a downgrade in our
financial strength ratings; litigation and investigations targeted at health
benefits companies and our ability to resolve litigation and investigations
within estimates; our ability to meet expectations regarding repurchases of
shares of our common stock; funding risks with respect to revenue received
from participation in Medicare and Medicaid programs; non-compliance with the
complex regulations imposed on Medicare and Medicaid programs; events that
result in negative publicity for the health benefits industry; failure to
effectively maintain and modernize our information systems and e-business
organization and to maintain good relationships with third party vendors for
information system resources; events that may negatively affect our license
with the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association; possible impairment of the
value of our intangible assets if future results do not adequately support
goodwill and other intangible assets; intense competition to attract and
retain employees; unauthorized disclosure of member sensitive or confidential
information; changes in the economic and market conditions, as well as
regulations, applicable to our investment portfolios; possible restrictions in
the payment of dividends by our subsidiaries and increases in required minimum
levels of capital and the potential negative affect from our substantial
amount of outstanding indebtedness; general risks associated with mergers and
acquisitions; various laws and our governing documents may prevent or
discourage takeovers and business combinations; 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. Except to the extent
otherwise required by federal securities law, we do not undertake 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 our SEC reports.

SOURCE WellPoint, Inc.

Media, Jerry Slowey, +1-805-557-6754, Jerry.slowey@wellpoint.com, or Cheryl
Leamon, +1-317-488-6748, Cheryl.leamon@wellpoint.com; or Investors, Michael
Kleinman, +1-317-488-6713, all of WellPoint, Inc.