METLIFE AND NATIONWIDE BETTER HEALTH(SM) SIGN A LETTER OF INTENT TO ENTER INTO AN AGREEMENT TO PROVIDE EMPLOYERS WITH ENHANCED ABSENCE MANAGEMENT SOLUTION

METLIFE AND NATIONWIDE BETTER HEALTH(SM) SIGN A LETTER OF INTENT TO ENTER INTO AN AGREEMENT TO PROVIDE EMPLOYERS WITH ENHANCED ABSENCE MANAGEMENT SOLUTION

NEW YORK, April 12, 2007

Metropolitan Life Insurance Company (MetLife) and Nationwide Better HealthSM today announced that they have signed a letter of intent to enter into a marketing and services agreement that would result in employers having access to an enhanced, integrated absence management solution for administering and reporting on employee absences.

For group disability customers, this new arrangement augments the absence management services MetLife has long provided for multiple workplace benefits including long-term disability, short-term disability as well as Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) administration. Employers would now also be able to track planned and unplanned absences due to other causes as well, such as company-sponsored leaves, jury duty, military leaves and/or personal and vacation days – all through one point of administration and one contract with MetLife. This total absence management solution will provide real-time information, tracking and reporting.

"MetLife is excited to be working with Nationwide Better Health in leveraging the capabilities of our two companies. This solution will help ease the administrative burden that many employers face today in tracking these absences on their own and help present them with a clearer picture of their total absence situation and costs. This new relationship underscores our commitment to working with employers in a consultative way to drive improved productivity and lower overall costs," said Michael Fradkin, vice president, MetLife Disability.

"Our new partnership with MetLife allows us to reach more customers with integrated absence and disability management solutions," said Bill Evans, president of Productivity Solutions for Nationwide Better Health. "By working together, we'll be able to provide employers with better solutions when it comes to effectively managing and utilizing their absence information and their employees with health, medical and disease management services as they work to restore their health and return to work."

The new integrated absence management solution will:

• Deliver one, integrated short-term disability claims and absence management approach that can help companies better manage employee absences and assist employees who are able to return to work as soon as medically appropriate;
• Allow employers to identify employee absence patterns with real-time information and customized reports;
• Identify employees in need of assistance for medical and disease management; and
• Provide centralized intake and administration − especially important for large and geographically dispersed employers.