Medica Programs Helping Members Stay Healthy, Saving Money

368,264 Medica Members Benefit from Health Improvement Programs

$94.1 Million in Medical Expense Saved
MINNETONKA, Minn.--(Business Wire)--
Medica programs designed to help its members get healthy and stay that way in
2008 helped improve the lives of 368,264 people who belong to the health plan;
notably, 44 percent of those members had not participated in a Medica health
improvement program prior to 2008. The programs also reduced medical expenses by
more than $94 million.

Medica`s programs are designed to work with all Medica members to keep them
healthy or support members living with a chronic condition. Below are
descriptions of some of the programs that helped Medica members on the path to
better health.

* 241,077 members benefited from preventive health annual reminders, reminding
them of the preventive health services they are due to receive.
* 39,748 members benefited from the Fit ChoicesSM by Medica program. Fit Choices
is a health club reimbursement program for Medica members who visit a
participating health club at least eight times per month. In research conducted
by Medica, 94 percent of participants surveyed report improved health since
enrolling in the program.
* 38,541 members benefited from using MyHealthManager from MedicaSM, a robust
online health improvement resource that includes health assessments and programs
that allows participants to act on their health risks.
* 19,484 members benefited from a medication therapy management program for
members on five or more maintenance drugs. Each member in the program receives
an individualized profile with medication adherence information.
* 14,101 members benefited from Medica`s healthy pregnancy program. The program
promotes healthy outcomes for mother and baby by encouraging early and ongoing
prenatal care, and increasing access to pregnancy-related educational
information. It uses a sophisticated proprietary methodology for identifying
women most likely to benefit from the program.
* 7,763 members benefited from case management and complex care coordination.
The program provides a nurse case manager to participants to help members and
provide them with support in making treatment decisions for serious medical
conditions.
* 2,562 members participated in Medica`s new health and wellness coaching
program. The program, introduced in October 2008, provides members with a
personal health coach who helps participants set and achieve personal health
goals. (Note: The program was in place for only three months in 2008.)

* 4,988 Medica members also participated in several other health improvement
programs, including programs for behavioral health, blood glucose monitoring,
clinic-based chronic care management, depression management and medication
compliance.

In addition to helping members maintain or improve health, the programs saved
money. Cost savings are annualized and reflect the reduction of unnecessary or
duplicative medical procedures, using an equally effective but less costly form
of treatment, and working with members to develop and maintain healthy
lifestyles that result in fewer medical expenses. The savings came from the
following areas:

Program Cost savings
Generic Drugs $ 61.1 million

By the end of 2008, 71 percent of prescription drugs dispensed to
Medica members were generic.
Complex case management $ 13 million
Radiology Initiative $ 10.5 million
10 - 20 percent of patients are prescribed an incorrect or inappropriate
scan. Medica`s program, the first of its kind in the marketplace,
works to reduce this number.
Health and Wellness Coaching/Disease Management $ 6.8 million
Healthy Pregnancy Program $ 1.9 million
Fit Choices $ .8 million
TOTAL $ 94.1 million

Medica members interested in participating in a Medica health program can learn
more by clicking here.

About Medica
Medica is independently certified for validity in savings measurement by the
Disease Management Purchasing Consortium International, Inc.

Medica is a health insurance company headquartered in Minneapolis and active in
the Upper Midwest. With nearly 1.4 million members, the non-profit company
provides health care coverage in the employer, individual, Medicaid, Medicare
and Medicare Part D markets in Minnesota and a growing number of counties in
North Dakota, South Dakota and Wisconsin. Medica also offers national network
coverage to employers who also have employees outside the Medica regional
network.

Medica has the highest accreditation status, Excellent, from the National
Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) for its Minnesota Medicaid HMO plans and
commercial health plans in Minnesota and North Dakota. Medica`s vision is to
become the community`s health plan of choice, trusted for its integrity,
respected for its service, and admired for its commitment to innovation and
efficiency.

Medica
Greg Bury, 952-992-8437
E-mail: greg.bury@medica.com

Copyright Business Wire 2009