TRIGON STATE'S FIRST TO OFFER ALTERNATIVE THERAPY PROGRAMS

VIRGINIA (FEBUARY 14, 2000)-- Trigon Blue Cross Blue Shield is Virginia's first insurer to offer its members discounts for massage therapy, acupuncture and chiropractor services starting March 1.

The Trigon Healthy Complements program will provide 25 percent discounts to members who use the American Specialty Health Networks (ASHN) certified, accredited network of massage therapists, acupuncturists and chiropractors. Members can also get health and wellness products like herbal supplements, vitamins and minerals at discounted prices, along with fitness videos and books.

"As alternative health care choices become more mainstream, we are happy to offer our members savings on these alternative therapies to complement conventional medicine,"; said Terri Leonard, Trigon Product Manager.

A study published last year in The Journal of the American Medical Association found that four out of every 10 Americans now use some form of alternative medicine.

Thomas G. Snead Jr., Trigon president and CEO, said, "In the whole realm of health and wellness, providing our members access to alternative programs demonstrates our commitment to customer choice."

"Complementary health care is one of health care's most rapidly growing areas and hotly demanded by consumers," said George DeVries, president and CEO of American Specialty Health plans. "We are pleased to partner with Trigon to provide their complementary benefit programs and cutting edge Internet and e-commerce solutions."

On Valentine's Day, from 11 a.m. – 12:30 p.m., free massages will be given to Trigon employees at Trigon headquarters. ASHN representatives will be on hand to give a multi-media presentation about alternative therapies and demonstrate how members can use the Web to buy discounted products with no shipping charges.

ASHN provides programs nationwide to health plans, insurance carriers, employer groups and trust funds. Its affiliate, American Specialty Health Plans (ASHP), is the nation's first and largest health plan for chiropractic and acupuncture services, operating in California. Together, ASHP and ASHN cover more than 13 million members nationwide.

Trigon is Virginia's largest managed health care company, providing a broad range of health, wellness and health care financing programs and services to nearly 2 million members. Visit us on the Web at www.trigon.com.