Amerigroup Wins Health Promotion and Disease Awareness Award

WASHINGTON, April 19, 2010 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- The National Minority Quality Forum (NMQF) today awarded Amerigroup Corporation (NYSE: AGP) the first Health Promotion and Disease Awareness award, which recognizes an individual or organization making an outstanding contribution to the promotion of wellness in minority communities.

"We are committed to practices that help pregnant moms have healthy babies," said Dr. Mary McCluskey, Amerigroup executive vice president and chief medical officer. "We are equally committed to reducing the impact racial health disparities have on maternal and child health. The best way to reach both of these goals is to inform our members about the physical and emotional challenges of pregnancy, engage and assist them during labor, delivery and after the birth of their babies."

Presented to Amerigroup at NMQF's 7th Annual National Leadership Summit on Health Disparities in Washington, D.C., the award was accepted by Amerigroup's vice president of Healthcare Management Services (Maternal Health), Karen Shea.

Amerigroup's maternal health program will touch the lives of more than 60,000 expectant mothers -- typically low-income women served by Medicaid -- this year alone. The company works to help its members confront an array of social, economic, cultural and practical barriers that can make it difficult to get basic health care. One program, "Taking Care of Baby and Me," is Amerigroup's prenatal and neonatal care initiative working to break down these barriers and connect members with the care they need.

Amerigroup covers 1 in 25 Medicaid births, making the company a significant stakeholder and leader in the effort to eliminate disparities based on race and ethnicity. Medicaid provides health care coverage to 26 percent of all African-Americans and 25 percent of Hispanics throughout the country. In addition, 41 percent of all births nationwide are covered by Medicaid.

The National Minority Quality Forum and the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation jointly hosted today's ceremony, in cooperation with the Congressional Black Caucus Health Braintrust.

About Amerigroup Corporation

A Fortune 500 company, Amerigroup Corporation and its subsidiaries help those people on publicly funded health care programs by ensuring they enter an organized system of care. Serving approximately 1.8 million members in 11 states nationwide, Amerigroup accepts all eligible people regardless of age, sex, race or disability. The company's product offerings do not utilize any individual underwriting nor deny coverage due to pre-existing medical conditions. Amerigroup is dedicated to offering real solutions that improve health care access and quality for its members, while proactively working to reduce the overall cost of care to taxpayers. For more information and real story examples of these solutions, please visit www.amerigroupcorp.com.

About the National Minority Quality Forum

Founded as a nonprofit organization in 1998, the National Minority Quality Forum improves the quality of health care available for and provided to America's diverse populations. The goal is to strengthen the capacity of local communities to eliminate the disproportionate burden of premature death and preventable illness in minority populations through prevention, early detection and control of disease complications.

SOURCE Amerigroup Corporation