It has 34,000 retaillocations and relies on the sale of postage, products and services, not taxdollars, to pay for operating expenses. Named the Most Trusted GovernmentAgency five consecutive years by the Ponemon Institute, the Postal Service hasannual revenue of $75 billion and delivers nearly half the world’s mail. Tolearn about the history of the Postal Service visit the Smithsonian’s NationalPostal Museum: Postal ServiceMonica Suraci of the U.S. Postal Service, (O) +1-202-268-6353, (C)+1-202-258-9521, .

Pioneer in Prevention, Well-Being and Chronic Care Management Discusses HealthReform with Blue Dog CoalitionWASHINGTON–(Business Wire)–Healthways, Inc. (NASDAQ: HWAY), the world`s largest and most experienced healthand well-being services company, met with the Democratic Blue Dog Coalitionyesterday to discuss the value and importance of well-being and prevention inthe nation`s current healthcare reform efforts. Established in 1995, the Blue Dog Coalition is comprised of 51 conservative andmoderate House Democrats, representing congressional districts across thecountry. Healthways President and Chief Operating Officer Steve Brueckner offered avariety of health reform recommendations for Blue Dogs to consider.

“Healthways envisions a three-pronged approach,” Brueckner said. “In order tolower overall costs, any healthcare reform plan must ultimately seek to keephealthy people healthy, mitigate and slow the progression of disease associatedwith modifiable family or lifestyle risk factors and optimize care for thosewith chronic disease or conditions. “The need to provide people with the support required to engage in healthybehaviors that reduce their risk of developing disease is just as important asreforms to other influencers and cost drivers in the healthcare system.” “Healthways is a company that we in Tennessee should be proud of,” said U.S.Rep Jim Cooper (D-TN). “They are playing a key role in the current politicaldiscussion by enriching our understanding of America`s health – or lack thereof.The Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index has given policymakers new data that willhelp guide our efforts to reform healthcare and encourage healthy lifestyles forall Americans.” Healthways told the Blue Dogs that, in order to help keep healthy peoplehealthy, Congress should create incentives for employers, employees, Medicareand Medicaid beneficiaries and federal workers to engage in healthy behaviorsthat lower risks associated with unhealthy lifestyles.

The company recommended establishment of a Health, Well-Being and PreventionInnovation Center as part of a federal plan to synthesize health promotion. Healthways also addressed health disparities and the need to develop and fundpopulation-scale interventions for the 55-64 age group to mitigate and slow theprogression of disease before that group enters Medicare. To optimize care forthose that have already developed chronic disease, the company suggestedexpanding transitional care activities and addressing end-of-life services. To measure the success of any healthcare reform effort – and more effectivelytarget federal investment – Healthways advocates adoption and use of a nationalbenchmark, the Gallup-Healthways Well-Being IndexTM, the largest and mostcomprehensive project ever undertaken to measure the relative and health andwell-being of the American population over time. A 25-year partnership betweenHealthways and the Gallup organization, the Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Indexis already the largest behavioral economics database in existence, with morethan 500,000 completed surveys as of May 2009.

“With so many possibilities of change and choices for the investment of publicdollars, it is crucial to understand what is successful and where work stillneeds to be done,” said Brueckner. “We believe the Gallup-Healthways Well-BeingIndex can serve as a powerful resource for policymakers, as well as a nationalbenchmark and measurement tool for policies and programs.” About Healthways, Inc.Healthways is the leading provider of specialized, comprehensive solutions tohelp millions of people maintain or improve their health and well-being and, asa result, reduce overall costs. Healthways` solutions are designed to helphealthy individuals stay healthy, mitigate and slow the progression to diseaseassociated with family or lifestyle risk factors and promote the best possiblehealth for those already affected by disease. Our proven, evidence-basedprograms provide highly specific and personalized interventions for eachindividual in a population, irrespective of age or health status, and aredelivered to consumers by phone, mail, internet and face-to-face interactions,both domestically and internationally. Healthways also provides a national,fully accredited complementary and alternative Health Provider Network, offeringconvenient access to individuals who seek health services outside of, and inconjunction with, the traditional healthcare system.