Business
WellPoint expects to add 50,000 M Plan members
NEWS IN BRIEF — Posted Nov. 12, 2007
As Indiana's M-Plan exits the HMO business, WellPoint expects to gain around 50,000 members, thanks to a deal between M-Plan and WellPoint subsidiary Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Indiana.
M-Plan insures about 125,000 people, and WellPoint expects about 40% will become WellPoint customers, CEO Angela Braly said in an Oct. 24 conference call with analysts.
Braly said the company expects to finish next year with around 1 million new members. Currently WellPoint has about 35 million members.
M-Plan had been the largest HMO in Indianapolis, where WellPoint is headquartered. M-Plan's remaining business will be a 7,000-member Medicare plan.
Note: This item originally appeared at http://www.ama-assn.org/amednews/2007/11/12/bibf1112.htm.