Health Net to Host First Statewide 'Virtual' Bowling Championship at 40 Senior Centers

-- Virtual bowling league turns grandparents into gamers

-- 'Health Net Senior Cup' inspired by popularity of video game
system

-- State Regional Qualifying Events for October finals to begin
in August
SHELTON, Conn.--(Business Wire)--
Responding to widespread enthusiasm for the use of virtual bowling
video games among seniors throughout Connecticut, Health Net of the
Northeast, Inc. (Health Net) will stage a championship competition
featuring teams from more than 60 senior centers.

The 'Health Net Senior Cup' qualifying events will pit four-member
bowling teams against one another on a regional elimination basis
beginning in August and ending in early November, with a final event
in Wallingford, Conn., involving four regional winners.

The company began donating Nintendo's Wii(TM) game system to
senior centers in several states last year, equipping more than 60
facilities in Connecticut, where virtual bowling is evolving into an
organized sport.

The competition consists of four regions each containing
approximately 16 senior centers teams with four bowlers and two
alternates:

-0-
*T
Region 1: Hartford & Tolland Counties
Region 2: Fairfield & Litchfield Counties
Region 3: New Haven County
Region 4: Middlesex, Windham & New London Counties
*T

The basic rules are the same as in regular bowling, with each team
bowling two games and the winner advancing on a 'knockout' basis, with
the eventual Cup Final contested among the four regional winners.

The Connecticut championship is believed to be the first on a
statewide scale in the nation. Bob Beckwith, a Health Net community
events planner and driving force behind the event, said, "This all
started with a search for new fitness-related activities for seniors.
The introduction of the Wii technology provided the inspiration that
led to the first equipment donations and then the move toward
organized bowling competitions at some centers in Connecticut,
California, Oregon, New Mexico and Arizona."

Bowling proved to be the single most popular game among seniors
using the Wii system. Health Net's Beckwith says that seniors love the
ability to rekindle passion for a sport that many of them may no
longer be physically able to manage. "The competitive element that has
emerged so far is fostering team spirit and a lot of socializing that
we hope will be a factor in the Senior Cup events," he says.

"For all of us to stay healthy, we need to remain physically
active and mentally stimulated, especially seniors," said Steve
Calabrese, chief Medicare officer for Health Net of the Northeast.
"The success of the Wii bowling events is working wonders not only for
participants but also their friends and family who enjoy the spectacle
of competition, and this is what the new championship tournament is
all about."

For more information, representatives of senior centers planning
to participate may contact Bob Beckwith at 203.925.7423.

About Health Net

Health Net of the Northeast, Inc., headquartered in Shelton,
Conn., employs approximately 1,600 associates in Connecticut, New
Jersey and New York. Health Net of the Northeast, through its
subsidiaries, offers full-service health plans that serve nearly one
million members in the tri-state area. The Northeast health plans
offer a wide array of products including: Health Maintenance
Organization (HMO), Point-of-Service (POS), Preferred Provider
Organization (PPO), third-party administration, Medicare and Medicaid.
With a physician network comprising more than 90,000 physician and
provider office locations, Health Net is one of the largest health
plans in the northeast, offering a full array of open-access products
and coordination for multi-region employers.

Health Net of the Northeast is a subsidiary of Health Net, Inc.
(NYSE:HNT). Health Net, Inc. is among the nation's largest publicly
traded managed health care companies. Its mission is to help people be
healthy, secure and comfortable. The company's health plans and
government contracts subsidiaries provide health benefits to
approximately 6.8 million individuals across the country through
group, individual, Medicare, Medicaid and TRICARE and Veterans Affairs
programs. Health Net's behavioral health subsidiary, MHN, provides
mental health benefits to approximately 6.9 million individuals in all
50 states. The company's subsidiaries also offer managed health care
products related to prescription drugs, and offer managed health care
product coordination for multi-region employers and administrative
services for medical groups and self-funded benefits programs.

For more information on Health Net, Inc., please visit the
company's Web site at www.healthnet.com.

Health Net of the Northeast
Alice Ferreira, 203-225-8836
alice.c.ferreira@healthnet.com
or
Creative Partners PR
Rob Gedarovich, 203-705-9219
rgedarovich@creativepartners.com

Copyright Business Wire 2008