Dr. Ian Shaffer, MHNs Chief Medical Officer, Named Chairman of AMBHA

Managed Health Network, Inc. (MHN), a subsidiary of Health Net, Inc. (NYSE:HNT), announced today that. Ian Shaffer, M.D., MHNs chief medical officer, has been elected board chair of the American Managed Behavioral Healthcare Association (AMBHA) for the coming year.

Point Richmond, CA (PRWEB) February 3, 2005 -- We are delighted that Dr. Shaffer has been honored in this way," says Jerry Coil, president of MHN. His appointment to this position is a testament to his stature in our industry and a well-deserved acknowledgement of his accomplishments in behavioral health over the last 20 years."

AMBHA represents approximately two-thirds of the nations leading managed behavioral healthcare organizations that provide insurance coverage for treatment of mental health and substance use disorders.

The AMBHA members and I are delighted to have Dr. Shaffer as the board chair. He brings a level of expertise and connections in the field that will help to strengthen and increase AMBHAs involvement in the behavioral health arena," said Pamela Greenberg, executive director of AMBHA.

As MHNs chief medical officer, Dr. Shaffer will continue to oversee MHNs clinical processes and operations. He also directs the development of new services designed to provide quality behavioral health outcomes. Dr. Shaffer is a child, adolescent and adult psychiatrist, and from 1993 to 2000 he was executive vice president and chief medical officer for ValueOptions. Dr. Shaffer also has been a member of the National Advisory Committee to the Center for Mental Health Services and a former Chair of AMBHA in 1996. He has provided consulting services to various federal agencies, pharmaceutical companies and healthcare organizations.

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 nearly 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 40,000 practitioners and 1,150 hospitals and facilities throughout the United States. For more information, visit www.mhn.com.

About Health Net

Health Net, Inc. is among the nations largest publicly traded managed health care companies. Its mission is to help people be healthy, secure and comfortable. The companys HMO, POS, insured PPO and government contracts subsidiaries provide health benefits to approximately 7.3 million individuals in 27 states and the District of Columbia through group, individual, Medicare, Medicaid and TRICARE programs. Health Nets subsidiaries also offer managed health care products related to behavioral health and prescription drugs, and offer 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 companys Web site at www.healthnet.com.

About AMBHA

AMBHA is an association of the nations leading specialty behavioral healthcare companies. AMBHA member companies are both national and regional and are collectively responsible for managing mental health and substance abuse services in the public and private sector for over 110 million individuals across the country.

# # #

This press release was distributed through eMediawire by Human Resources Marketer (HR Marketer: www.HRmarketer.com) on behalf of the company listed above.