MHN and U.S. Department of State Enhance Support Services to Employees and Families During Unaccompanied Tours of Service; Web Portal, Online Training and Call Center Designed to Improve Well-Being of Employees and Family Members

Business Wire, July 24, 2006

POINT RICHMOND, Calif. -- Behavioral health care provider Managed Health Network (MHN) and the U.S. Department of State today announced a pilot program to enhance access to support services for Department of State employees and their families during unaccompanied tours of service. Starting August 1, 2006, MHN will offer a customized Web portal, online training, and 24-hour, seven days per week call center support.

MHN's customized Web portal for employees and family members features articles on emotional health including coping with separation, maintaining bonds with children and long distance communication. Multimedia programs include self-assessment and coaching for self-help methods to deal with stress, anxiety and depression. Employees and their families also can access online training on emotional health topics, such as stress management and effective communication. In addition, licensed clinicians at MHN's call center provide telephonic assessments, referrals to the Department of State's Employee Consultation Services, or emergency consultation to family members who are separated by service at an unaccompanied post.

"Employees on unaccompanied tours of service and their families may face a range of challenges, from eldercare concerns to cultural adjustments," explains MHN president and CEO Jerry Coil. "With these unique needs in mind, MHN created a customized set of services to promote well-being through greater access. We are grateful for the opportunity to leverage more than 30 years of behavioral health care experience, our work with international clients and experience in telephonic consultation."

"Dedicated Americans who choose to join our Foreign and Civil Service understand the mission on which they embark and they freely accept the sacrifices entailed by service in dangerous and difficult and distant locations. It is fitting that we honor them on this day, a time to renew our commitment to our fellow citizens serving abroad." Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice's remarks, spoken at a ceremony marking Foreign Affairs Day on May 5, 2006, address the significant contributions Foreign and Civil Service employees and their families make while serving abroad.

About MHN

MHN is one of the largest and oldest providers of managed behavioral health care and Employee Assistance Programs (EAP) in the United States, serving 10 million members. Based in Point Richmond, Calif., MHN provides workplace solutions ranging from EAP and behavioral health to integrated disease management and psychiatric disability programs. MHN's provider network includes more than 45,000 practitioners and 1,400 hospitals and facilities throughout the United States. For more information, visit www.mhn.com.

MHN is a subsidiary of Health Net, Inc. (NYSE:HNT). Health Net, Inc. is among the nation's largest publicly traded managed health care companies. Health Net's corporate office is located in Woodland Hills, Calif. The company employs approximately 8,600 associates nationwide. Its mission is to help people be healthy, secure and comfortable. The company's HMO, POS, insured PPO and government contracts subsidiaries provide health benefits to approximately 6.6 million individuals in 27 states and the District of Columbia through group, individual, Medicare, Medicaid and TRICARE programs. Health Net's subsidiaries also offer managed health care products related to behavioral health and prescription drugs, 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.

About the U.S. Department of State

The U.S. Department of State represents U.S. interests to foreign governments; promotes peace, security and freedom; pursues economic opportunity abroad to create jobs at home; protects American people from the dangers posed by drug trafficking, weapons proliferation and harm to the environment; and assists Americans traveling or living overseas. The Department's employees work at offices in the U.S. and at 266 posts abroad. They serve under challenging circumstances throughout the world, in order to serve our nation's needs.

For more information on the U.S. Department of State, please visit the Department's Web site at www.state.gov.