HumanaOne is built to appeal to individuals and families not insured by their employer, including self-employed entrepreneurs, students, early retirees, those between jobs and others needing health insurance protection. Humana is now offering the plan in Colorado. It is also currently available in Arizona, Illinois, Kentucky, Ohio, Texas and Wisconsin, and is scheduled to be introduced in other Humana markets later this year.

"In many locations, there are only a handful of companies offering individual health coverage, so our plan should come as welcome news for consumers," said Thomas Stoiber, senior director of Humana’s individual product segment. "We believe we can offer individuals and their families the same kinds of advantages in administrative ease, efficient claims processing and technology enjoyed by employees of large companies."

According to Stoiber, Humana’s size and negotiating clout allow the company to secure volume discounts from doctors and hospitals across the nation. "Unlike many other individual health carriers, Humana most often contracts directly with physicians and other health care providers," said Stoiber. "By owning our own networks, we can achieve greater cost savings and pass those savings along to consumers. As a result, HumanaOne is priced competitively to fit within the consumer’s tight budget."

HumanaOne’s PPO arrangement allows consumers to visit any doctor or health care provider they choose, or they can receive a better level of benefits by visiting one of the doctors, hospitals and other facilities within Humana’s network. Humana, through its ChoiceCare Network, has approximately 300,000 contracts with health care providers in all 50 states.

Humana’s national presence means those who work or travel outside their home area can receive in-network benefits from any of these contracted physicians and other care providers, which is important for frequent travelers, students attending college away from home and anyone who moves to a new area.

"When they move, many people face the additional burden of finding new health coverage because their policy is with a local carrier," said Stoiber. "Because Humana maintains contractual relationships with health care providers across the nation, HumanaOne policyholders can simply take their coverage with them, which means one less worry."

Humana offers expedited underwriting on its new individual plan, meaning consumers can receive a price quote over the phone. In addition, Humana guarantees premium rates on its HumanaOne plan for one full year after purchase, provided the customer maintains the same benefits and resides within the same geographic area.

HumanaOne will also offer consumers access to a secure Web page with personalized health insurance information, including benefit details, claims information, health reference materials and more. This online content will give consumers additional information they can use to make educated decisions about their own care and coverage. Consumers use a unique protected password issued by Humana to access personal information, and Humana employs a variety of technologies to ensure the privacy and security of online information.

Humana Inc., headquartered in Louisville, Kentucky, is one of the nation’s largest publicly traded health benefits companies, with approximately 6.6 million medical members located primarily in 18 states and Puerto Rico. Humana offers coordinated health insurance coverage and related services – through traditional and Internet-based plans – to employer groups, government-sponsored plans and individuals.

More information regarding Humana is available via the Internet at www.humana.com, including on-line:

• Copies of annual report to stockholders;
• Securities and Exchange Commission filings including the company’s Form 10-K, Form 10-Qs, and proxy statement;
• Copy of the most recent investor presentation;
• Copies of quarterly earnings press releases;
• Audio archive of the most recent earnings release conference call;
• Calendar of events (includes upcoming earnings conference call dates, related conference call access number, and planned participation in investor conferences).