Medco CEO to Shareholders: In Times of Change and Uncertainty, Medco Delivers Flexible Proven Formula Complementing National Healthcare Reform

FRANKLIN LAKES, N.J., May 12 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Medco Health Solutions, Inc. (NYSE: MHS) will continue to succeed by delivering innovative and flexible solutions that enable America's employers and insurers to keep pace with the myriad changes associated with implementing national healthcare reform, Medco CEO David B. Snow Jr. today told shareholders at the company's annual shareholder's meeting.

"Federal healthcare reform is primarily focused on the critical imperative of extending access to millions of uninsured Americans.  However a sustainable healthcare system also requires a focus on improving quality and reducing costs," Snow said.  "Medco complements the federal focus on access with innovation that improves patient outcomes and addresses overall healthcare costs.  These initiatives have contributed to record new-business wins totaling more than $21 billion since 2008, and become even more critical as our healthcare system moves through a period of significant change over the next several years."

Snow outlined a series of opportunities for Medco related to healthcare reform that extend beyond the opportunity to serve the estimated 35 million Americans who will, for the first time, enroll in coverage programs.  These include building on the flexible solutions Medco has developed for covering populations of retired employees, a growing portfolio of Medicare-related offerings and initiatives that support comparative effectiveness, outcomes research and efforts designed to wire America's healthcare system.

"The investments we have made to drive advanced clinical care for patients with chronic and complex conditions, to extend our broad portfolio of benefit management solutions and to assert our leadership in forging the future of pharmacy care through personalized medicine have distinguished Medco from its competitors – delivering differentiating value for clients and members, which has never been more important than it is today," Snow added.

During 2009, Medco achieved record sales, revenues and earnings.  Snow said the company continues to expect GAAP earnings per share growth of 17-21 percent in 2010.  Earlier this year, Medco advanced to No. 35 on the Fortune 500 list, based on revenues of nearly $60 billion.

"With more than 1,000 pharmacists trained as specialists and organized into Medco Therapeutic Resource Centers® to provide focused care for patients with specific chronic and complex conditions, Medco has developed a clinical focus that is unsurpassed in scale and scope within our industry," said Snow.

"The old paradigm in healthcare created a tension between clinical quality and costs – improving one at the expense of the other.  With a wired pharmacy, adherence to clinical protocols, tools that assist physicians and empower patients, and the ability to identify and close gaps in care, our advanced pharmacy model is proven to enhance the quality of care and at the same time lower overall healthcare costs," said Snow.  "We are delivering on the promise of making medicine smarter.  As we say in our annual report, 'It's what we do, it's who we are.  It's in our DNA.'"

Voting Results

According to preliminary voting results released at the meeting, Medco shareholders re-elected nine members to its Board of Directors. Shareholders also ratified the appointment of PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP as the company's independent auditors for fiscal year 2010 and approved an amendment to the company's Certificate of Incorporation to permit shareholders to call special meetings.

Webcast Information

A replay of the webcast of Medco's Annual Meeting of Shareholders is available through the Investor Relations section on Medco's Web site, www.medcohealth.com/investor.  Slides associated with the presentation made during the meeting will also be available on the site.

RealPlayer or Windows Media Player is required to listen to the webcast. Free downloads of both players are available at the webcast site. The webcast will be available for replay for one year following the presentation.

About Medco

Medco Health Solutions, Inc. (NYSE: MHS) is pioneering the world's most advanced pharmacy® and its clinical research and innovations are part of Medco making medicine smarter™ for approximately 65 million members.

With more than 20,000 employees dedicated to improving patient health and reducing costs for a wide range of public and private sector clients, and 2009 revenue of nearly $60 billion, Medco ranks 35th on the Fortune 500 list and is named among the world's most innovative, most admired and most trustworthy companies. 

For more information, go to http://www.medcohealth.com.

SOURCE Medco Health Solutions, Inc.