Health Care REIT Completes Share Offer

Health Care REIT Inc. (NYSE:HCN - News), a leading health care real estate investment trust (:REIT) that operates senior housing and health care real estate, has recently completed its secondary offering of 20.7 million common shares at $53.50 each, including 2.7 million shares sold to the underwriters to cover the over-allotment options.

Health Care REIT raised approximately $1.1 billion of gross proceeds from the offer. The company intends to utilize the proceeds to repay debt under its unsecured line of credit and other outstanding debt.

BofA Merrill Lynch, the investment banking and wealth management division of Bank of America Corporation (NYSE:BAC - News); J.P. Morgan Securities LLC, the investment banking division of JPMorgan Chase & Co. (NYSE:JPM - News); UBS Investment Bank, the investment banking division of UBS AG (NYSE:UBS - News); Deutsche Bank Securities Inc. – the U.S. investment banking and securities arm of Deutsche Bank AG (NYSE:DB - News); and Wells Fargo Securities, part of Wells Fargo & Company (NYSE:WFC - News) acted as joint book-running managers for the offering.

Health Care REIT invests across the full spectrum of senior housing and healthcare real estate properties. Headquartered in Toledo, Ohio, the company also provides an extensive array of property management and development services.
Founded in 1970, the company was the first REIT to invest exclusively in healthcare facilities. Health Care REIT provides senior housing operators and healthcare systems with a single source for facility planning, design and turn-key development, property management, and monetization or expansion of existing real estate.
However, deep cuts in Medicare have been proposed over the next five years by reducing or freezing payments to skilled nursing facilities, hospitals, and other healthcare providers. With a large portion of revenues being determined by government payout rates, forces beyond the company’s control could negatively affect revenues and operator coverage ratios. Consequently, we maintain our Neutral recommendation on Health Care REIT, which currently has a Zacks #3 Rank that indicates a short-term Hold rating.

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Neb. bills offer health insurance exchange plan

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Work on Nebraska's own version of health care insurance reform will begin in earnest next month when bills to create the Nebraska Health Benefit Exchange Act come up for debate, two state lawmakers said Tuesday.

Sen. Rich Pahls of Boys Town and Sen. Jeremy Nordquist of Omaha each have introduced a bill in hopes of having a state law in place before the U.S. Supreme Court rules on the federal health care reform plan this summer.

"The nuts and bolts of the two bills are not really that different, from what I have read," Nordquist said. "We are not dictating a lot in the bills. We are leaving a lot of it up to others to bring their recommendations to us. We are not overly descriptive at this point."

Both bills would create the benefit exchange act, which is aimed at providing health insurance options for Nebraskans to buy affordable, quality health care coverage.

Among the goal areas in the bills:

— Increasing access to quality, affordable health care coverage.

— Reducing the number of uninsured Nebraskans.

— Providing affordable options for small businesses to purchase private health insurance for their employees.

— Providing consumer choice and portability of health insurance, regardless of employment status.

"My bill would move us forward in the establishment of a health insurance exchange, which is an open, transparent marketplace for consumers, families and small businesses to shop for the plan that best fits them," Nordquist said.

Nebraska is among the many states that are working on their own laws instead of waiting for the Supreme Court.

Oral arguments are set for March on whether the federal plan requiring nearly all Americans to buy health insurance by 2014 or face financial penalties is unconstitutional.

Pahls said it's important for Nebraska to have an insurance plan completed before summer. But it's also important that all interested parties from consumers to health care providers to insurance carriers have input.

"We want to make this public and see where everyone is at, so we can find some commonality," Pahls said. "Because everybody has a stake in it."

"I don't know where this will lead us right now, but it will give us an opportunity to talk about it."

Nordquist said the bills were offered as a starting point and voices from all sides of the issue will be needed as the state moves into new territory.

"This is the first time that the state is setting up a process to sell a private product," he said.

"I'm hopeful that we can move as soon as possible," Nordquist said. "The longer we wait, the less likely we will get it right. The sooner we get to work, the better it will be for Nebraskans."

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Legislative Bill 835

Legislative Bill 838

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Health Net Community Solutions Centers Offer Free Health and Wellness Activities to Local Communities They Serve

LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- As 2012 begins and we focus on our New Year’s resolutions, Health Net, Inc. (NYSE: HNT - News) wants to remind you that one of the best gifts we can give to ourselves is to help ourselves be healthy.

You are not alone if your New Year’s resolution includes improving your health. According to FC Organizational Products LLC, which annually publishes the top ten New Year’s resolutions, two of the top three New Year’s resolutions for 2012 are health related: 1. Become more physically fit; and 2. Improve one’s health.

In the spirit of kick-starting the New Year on a healthy note, Health Net’s Community Solutions Centers (CSC) offer a large variety of free fitness and health-related classes, activities and events every month. In fact, the centers provide these services and health education classes all year long to all local residents, both kids and adults, alike.

Examples of activities to participate in:

Fun Fitness for Kids, Adults and Seniors Zumba Exercise Class Educational classes on topics such as cancer, heart disease, etc. Support groups that deal with depression, alcoholism, etc. Meditation

In addition to these health-promoting classes, the CSCs also offer a full scope of free activities that extend beyond health and fitness. Using the expertise of local government agencies and local community groups, the centers provide activities ranging from educational classes on cancer and prevention (Fresno) to knitting beanies for cancer patients at a local children’s hospital (East Los Angeles) to passing out free bread to the local community (Stanislaus).

Adding these positive New Year’s resolutions into your daily routine is a great way to start the New Year and help maintain a healthy lifestyle. Getting involved in one’s own wellness is key to leading a healthy life and what better way to do it, while connecting with other members in your community.

Health Net is proud to offer these educational services and events to the communities it serves.

Community Solutions Center locations:

About Health Net of California

Health Net of California, Inc., a subsidiary of Health Net, Inc., is one of the largest health plans in the state. Together with Health Net Life Insurance Company, it serves more than 2.2 million members statewide and contracts with 67,000-plus physicians, 300-plus hospitals and 5,000-plus pharmacies, giving its members greater choice and more convenient access to care. For more information about Health Net, visit the website at www.healthnet.com.

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