A panel of local judges, comprised of community leaders, public officials and business representatives, will work with Humana to select the $100,000 grant recipient.  Humana will name the recipient and recognize all three organizations at a celebratory gala on October 21, 2006 at the Chicago Cultural Center. 

"It was very impressive to see the caliber of entries that we received for Chicago Benefits and the wide variety of good work happening in our community," said Rob Hitchcock, president of Medicare operations in Humana's North Region and co-chair of Chicago Benefits.  "These three finalists are truly helping promote healthy lives and healthy communities, and each of them would make a deserving recipient."

"We at Humana are proud to recognize and reward worthy charities in Chicagoland," said Hassan Rifaat, chief executive officer of Humana's Illinois market and co-chair of Chicago Benefits.  "We hope Chicago Benefits will help transform one of these fine organizations, allowing it to create innovative new programs or expand existing services, while sustaining those improvements for the long term."

Chicago Benefits is designed to give local not-for-profit, 501(c)(3), charitable organizations the opportunity to receive a one-time infusion of funding to create new programs or enhance ongoing activities.  Chicago Benefits supports 501(c)(3) organizations located in the Chicago metropolitan area that address one of three areas:

The Chicago Benefits 2005 $100,000 award recipient, Access Community Health Network, used the funding to extend a new, diabetes management program to its 45 community health centers, benefiting more than 8,000 low-income, often-uninsured diabetic patients.  The Diabetes Care and Self-Management program includes resources for both patients and health care professionals, incorporating health education and self-management tools to help individuals reduce their risk of complication from diabetes - a debilitating and often life-threatening disease.

Chicago Benefits served as the model for Humana's local community giving programs called Our Community Benefits.  Our Community Benefits is now active in five major U.S. metropolitan areas - Atlanta, Chicago, Detroit, Houston and Tampa. 

Humana plans to again solicit entries for Chicago Benefits in early 2007.  Visit www.chicagobenefits.org for more information.  

About Humana
Humana Inc., headquartered in Louisville, Ky., is one of the nation's largest publicly traded health benefits companies, with more than 11 million medical members. Humana offers a diversified portfolio of health insurance products and related services - through traditional and consumer-choice plans - to employer groups, government-sponsored plans, and individuals.

Humana is one of the largest providers of health benefits in Illinois, serving more than 500,000 members statewide.

Over its 45-year history, Humana has consistently seized opportunities to meet changing customer needs. Today, the company is a leader in consumer engagement, providing guidance that leads to lower costs and a better health plan experience throughout its diversified customer portfolio.

More information regarding Humana is available to investors via the Investor Relations page of the company's web site at http://www.humana.com, including copies of:

• Annual report to stockholders;
• Securities and Exchange Commission filings;
• Most recent investor conference presentation;
• Quarterly earnings news releases;
• Replays of most recent earnings release conference call;
• Calendar of events (includes upcoming earnings conference call dates, times, and access number, as well as planned interaction with research analysts and institutional investors);
• Corporate Governance Information.