BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina Announces New Complementary Healthcare Education Program

COLUMBIA, S.C. (December 16, 2002)- Good health isn't just a matter of luck.  It's also the product of good habits, intelligent decisions and hard work over the course of a lifetime.  Beginning January 1, BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina will offer its members a broad, integrated education program to help them achieve and maintain healthy lifestyle habits.  Members of BlueCross subsidiaries Companion HealthCare and Planned Administrators, Inc. (PAI) also can use the program.

Healthyroads for Living focuses on nutrition, exercise, weight management, smoking cessation and chronic illness prevention.  The program features telephone education services, Web site resources, educational guidebooks, guided imagery and mind-body skills to give members an array of tools and the motivation they need to succeed.  They also receive extensive discounts on some health products and services.

"We are committed to offering our members the support they need to achieve their healthy lifestyle goals," said Thomas G. Faulds, president and chief operating officer of the company's BlueCross division.  "It takes a great deal of personal effort and commitment to maintain healthy habits.  But with a program like Healthyroads for Living, members can learn to make sound personal choices toward a healthier, happier and potentially longer life."

The program supports BlueCross, Companion HealthCare and PAI members in two key ways.  First, it offers the expertise of trained registered dietitians, registered nurses, certified personal trainers and others to provide information, education and motivation in their specific areas of expertise.

Second, it offers a wide range of educational resources, including more than 100 proprietary specialized guidebooks and multimedia modules for specific health needs.  Members also have access to health-oriented educational resources when they select "Discounts and Added Values" in the Members section of the BlueCross Web site, www.SouthCarolinaBlues.com. Companion HealthCare members can select "Value Added" in the Members section of www.CompanionHealthCare.com.

Unique in its balanced approach to better health, there are six Healthyroads for Living plans, with varying levels of service designed to meet different needs and budgets.  Each encourages the use of both traditional medical care and complementary healthcare.

"We recognize that everyone is unique so there must be flexibility in how healthcare solutions are approached," said Faulds.  "Healthyroads for Living provides the tools and customization many members may need to chart a healthy lifestyle."

BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina is an independent licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association, an association of independent Blue Cross and Blue Shield plans.  It was the first health plan in the state to offer complementary and alternative healthcare programs for its members.

BlueCross joined with American Specialty Health, Incorporated and its subsidiary Healthyroads, Inc. to offer Healthyroads for Living.  American Specialty Health is the nation's leading specialty benefits company focused on complementary healthcare.  Its network includes more than 24,000 chiropractors, acupuncturists, massage therapists and registered dietitians.