Humana launches 300-city Medicare education tour

10 mobile education centers to make nearly 500 visits through October

LOUISVILLE, KY - Aug 17, 2005 - Humana Inc. (NYSE: HUM) today launched a 496-stop, cross-country educational campaign designed to help Medicare beneficiaries understand upcoming changes in Medicare.  As part of Humana’s “Let’s Talk” campaign, a fleet of recreational vehicles (RVs) will travel throughout the United States to reach people in their own neighborhoods.

Humana employees and people eligible for Medicare helped launch the RVs today from the company’s Louisville headquarters. The first RV tour destinations include community and senior centers, where Humana Medicare advisors will be on hand to help educate beneficiaries about the coming Medicare changes.

The changes, which include the much-anticipated Medicare prescription drug coverage program and regional PPO programs, were created under the Medicare Modernization Act of 2003, and will go into effect Jan. 1, 2006.  Beneficiaries eligible for Medicare Parts A or enrolled in Part B can join a prescription drug plan (PDP). Most will not be enrolled automatically and must select a PDP (either stand-alone or integrated with a Medicare health plan or Private Fee-for-Service Plan) to receive coverage.

“Helping educate people with Medicare about the changes they will be facing with their prescription drug options is a priority at Humana,” said Steve Brueckner, vice president of senior products for Humana.  “Through our ‘Let’s Talk’ education RV tour, we are able to help people with Medicare better understand what decisions they need to make in the coming months.  It comes down to guidance – making sure they feel confident that, when the time comes, they will have the information to help them choose the coverage that’s right for them.  That is what Humana, and this tour, are all about.”

The RVs, functioning as mobile education vehicles, will visit approximately 500 community and senior centers as well as Wal-Mart, Sam’s Club and Neighborhood Market stores across the country.  Visitors will receive literature approved by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), which administers the Medicare program.  They can take advantage of free consultations providing information about the new changes in Medicare, important dates leading up to the enrollment process, steps they need to follow to prepare for enrollment choices in the fall and numbers to call for additional information.

“These changes mark the biggest transformation Medicare has ever undergone in its 40-year history.  While it is very exciting, we know it can also be confusing for beneficiaries,” said Scott Latimer, M.D., Central Florida market president of senior products at Humana.  “We know from our 20 years of experience in Medicare that the more people understand their benefit options, the more carefully they will choose and use their benefits.  The RV tour provides a unique opportunity for us to meet people where they are in their communities and personally address any questions or concerns they may have.”

Initial stops on the Let’s Talk Medicare Education RV Tour include Chicago, Ames, Iowa, Kansas City, Tampa, Sarasota and Harrisburg, Pa.

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