HealthMarkets Agency Marketing Group Named Selling Power Excellence AwardsSM Finalist

Nominee for Insurance Sales Organization of the Year

North Richland Hills, Texas - November 20, 2006 -- HealthMarkets, a leading provider of affordable health and life insurance to the self-employed, individuals and small businesses, announced today that its Agency Marketing Group was named a Finalist in the "Insurance Sales Organization of the Year" category in The 2006 Selling Power Sales Excellence Awards.

Agency Marketing Group is the sales and marketing arm of HealthMarkets, Inc., and is comprised of two dedicated sales forces, UGA-Association Field Services, a division of The MEGA Life and Health Insurance Company and Cornerstone America, a division of Mid-West National Life Insurance Company of Tennessee.

"Our Agency Marketing Group has had great success this year with the introduction of our CareOne Suite of new, simplified health insurance products that provide consumers with a more comprehensive benefit design at an affordable price," said Troy McQuagge, President - HealthMarkets Agency Marketing Group. "It's exciting to see the group's hard work, thorough training and focus on consumers recognized."

More than 300 entries from companies of all sizes and in virtually every industry were submitted for consideration in more than 40 categories in this inaugural year of the competition. Finalists were chosen by business professionals worldwide during preliminary judging.

"Being named a Finalist in The Selling Power Sales Excellence Awards is an important achievement," said Gerhard Gschwandtner, founder and publisher of Selling Power magazine. "It means that independent business executives have agreed that the nominee is worthy of international recognition. We congratulate all of the Finalists on their achievement and wish them well in the competition."

Members of the Awards' Board of Distinguished Judges & Advisors and their staffs will select Stevie Award winners from among the Finalists. Nicknamed the Stevies for the Greek word "crowned," winners will be announced during a gala banquet on Monday, December 4 at the Westin Casuarina Hotel, Spa & Casino in Las Vegas.

The new awards are jointly presented by Selling Power magazine, the leading sales management publication with 145,000 subscribers in 67 countries, and The Stevie® Awards, which have been hailed as "the business world's own Oscars" by the New York Post (April 27, 2005).

Details about The Selling Power Sales Excellence Awards and the list of Finalists in all categories are available at www.stevieawards.com/sales.