WellPoint To Hold Conference Call and Webcast To Discuss 2010 Financial Outlook on March 17, 2010
16 Febrero 2010 - 5:00AM
PR Newswire (US)
INDIANAPOLIS, Feb. 16 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- WellPoint, Inc.
(NYSE: WLP) today cancelled its Investor Day previously scheduled
for February 23, 2010, and announced that management will review
the Company's 2010 financial outlook during a conference call on
March 17, 2010, at 8:30 a.m. Eastern Daylight Time (EDT). The
Company continues to expect full year 2010 net income to be at
least $6.00 per share, subject to its ability to secure and
maintain sufficient premium rates. The Company will provide
additional details about its 2010 outlook during the call on March
17, 2010. The conference call should be accessed at least 15
minutes prior to its start, with the following numbers:
888-423-3268 (Domestic) 800-475-6701 (Domestic Replay) 612-288-0329
(International) 320-365-3844 (International Replay) An access code
is not required for the March 17, 2010 conference call. The access
code for the replay is 147167. The replay will be available from
11:00 a.m. EDT on March 17, 2010, until the end of the day on March
31, 2010. The call will also be available through a live webcast at
http://www.wellpoint.com/ under Investor Info. A webcast replay
will be available following the call. The United States House of
Representatives Energy & Commerce Subcommittee on Oversight and
Investigations has requested information from the Company
concerning premium rate increases in the individual health
insurance market, and has requested that a senior officer of the
Company appear before the subcommittee on February 24, 2010. The
Investor Day program was cancelled in order to allow the Company to
prepare appropriately for the hearing. The Company is confident
that its rates were established consistent with actuarial
principles and state law, and welcomes the opportunity to discuss
the underlying rise in health costs and actuarial dynamics which
resulted in the need to increase individual health insurance rates.
About WellPoint, Inc. WellPoint works to simplify the connection
between Health, Care and Value. We help to improve the health of
our communities, deliver better care to members, and provide
greater value to our customers and shareholders. WellPoint is the
nation's largest health benefits company, with approximately 34
million members in its affiliated health plans. 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.), and
Wisconsin. In a majority of these service areas, WellPoint does
business as Anthem Blue Cross, Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield or
Empire Blue Cross Blue Shield (in the New York service areas).
WellPoint also serves customers throughout the country as UniCare.
Additional information about WellPoint is available at
http://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 SEC; increased government participation
in, or regulation or taxation of health benefits and managed care
operations; trends in health care costs and utilization rates; our
ability to secure sufficient premium rates including regulatory
approval for and implementation of such rates; 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 Medicare and Medicaid
programs, including those related to non-compliance with the
complex regulations imposed thereon, funding risks with respect to
revenue received from participation therein and CMS sanctions; 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; decreased revenues, increased operating costs and
potential customer and supplier losses and business disruptions
that may be greater than expected following the close of the
Express Scripts transaction; events that result in negative
publicity for us or 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 that may negatively
affect our investment portfolios and liquidity; possible
restrictions in the payment of dividends by our subsidiaries and
increases in required minimum levels of capital and the potential
negative effect 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.
DATASOURCE: WellPoint, Inc. CONTACT: Investor Relations, Michael
Kleinman, +1-317-488-6713; Media, Kristin Binns, +1-917-697-7802
Web Site: http://www.wellpoint.com/
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