Mountain State Blue Cross Blue Shield Ceo To End 25 Year Career

February 16, 2009

Parkersburg - Gregory K. Smith, President and Chief Executive Officer of Mountain State Blue Cross Blue Shield for the past fifteen years has announced his intention to conclude his 25‐year career with Mountain State and its predecessor Blue Cross Blue Shield plans by transitioning from the position of CEO on July 1 of this year to become the non‐executive Chairman of the Board of Directors for West Virginia's largest private health insurer.

On July 1st, Smith will relinquish day to day responsibilities allowing him to oversee the completion of the move to Mountain State's new headquarters building in downtown Parkersburg.

Under Smith's leadership, the financial reserves of Mountain State Blue Cross Blue Shield increased from $13 million in 1995 to $187 million in 2008. Also, in 2008, Mountain State was recognized nationally as the number one plan in the Blue Cross Blue Shield system for inter‐plan claims processing and customer service.

"I am very proud of what we have been able to accomplish in making Mountain State the preferred choice for health insurance and third party administration services in West Virginia. I am so fortunate to have had the collective benefit of working with nearly 1,000 employees in Parkersburg, Charleston, Wheeling and Weirton who have led the company to unparalleled levels of growth and productivity. We have achieved significant milestones in customer service and financial stability and our employees have received many well deserved awards for their performance." Page 2

Smith joined Blue Cross Blue Shield of West Virginia in 1984 as Director of Public Relations and assumed the role of Vice‐President of Marketing when Mountain State Blue Cross Blue Shield was created in 1991 to combine the state's two former plans. In 1994 he was elevated to Executive Vice President, and in 1995 became President and CEO of Mountain State Blue Cross Blue Shield. He served on the board of directors of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association as well as the National Employee Benefits Association.

Smith is a former member of the West Virginia House of Delegates where he served as assistant majority leader. He was appointed by Governor Wise to the West Virginia Economic Development Authority where he served from 2002 to 2004. In addition to serving on the board of the West Virginia Chamber of Commerce, Smith is a past Chairman of the Mid Ohio Valley Chamber of Commerce. He has also served on the West Virginia Special Olympics Board of directors as well as several other nonprofit organizations. He currently serves on the West Virginia University at Parkersburg Board of Governors.

Mountain State Blue Cross Blue Shield
Mountain State Blue Cross Blue Shield is an independent licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association. Mountain State provides or administers coverage to more than 500,000 West Virginians and has close to 1,000 employees in Parkersburg, Charleston, Wheeling and Weirton. To learn more about Mountain State Blue Cross Blue Shield, please visit www.msbcbs.com.