DES MOINES, Iowa, December 11, 2006 -- The Principal Financial Group® is launching two additions to a growing list of tools designed to assist participants in making healthcare decisions. Coverage Advisor SM helps employees better understand their health care needs, provides an estimate of costs for healthcare services and then allows the employee to compare benefit options. Physician Selection AdvisorSM provides detailed information to assist employees with selecting a physician. Both services were created by Subimo LLC, a leader in developing innovative healthcare information tools and services.

“At The Principal, we feel the more we can involve individuals in health improvement and making sound healthcare decisions, the greater impact we can make on curbing rising health care costs,” said Carey Jury, senior vice president of the Health Division for the Principal Financial Group. “Our experience shows employees are taking advantage of online educational resources, so we want to continue putting the right tools into their hands.”

Coverage Advisor is designed to help participants better understand their health insurance options prior to enrollment. By building a health profile for themselves and their family, participants can forecast expected health care expenses and compare coverage choices to determine which plan is most appropriate for their current situation. Once enrolled, the Physician Selection Advisor allows individuals to find and compare physicians in their local area. Physician profiles with detailed background provide additional information to use when selecting an appropriate physician.

Principal HealthyConnections

The Coverage Advisor and the Physician Selection Advisor are part of an enhanced Web site, designed for easy access to all of the online tools and services available through Principal HealthyConnections. Focused on helping members get healthy and stay healthy by making informed choices, HealthyConnections includes online health assessment tools, a library of health and wellness news and information about managing specific conditions or procedures. A prenatal care program, hospital care coordination, disease management and a number of other services are available to those needing specialized care.

“As we encourage members to become more involved in healthcare, we must provide current and accurate information along with tools to support good decision-making,” said Jury. “In the future, we’ll continue to build on what is currently available and will look at new ways to continue transforming the health of our members.”

The Coverage Advisor and the Physician Selection Advisor are available for insured and self-funded members on www.principal.com.

About Subimo

Headquartered in Chicago, IL, Subimo, LLC licenses an award-winning suite of decision tools, which provide a unique combination of data, content, personalized and interactive models, along with a variety of online wellness tools, so consumers can easily manage and track their personal health status, select insurance coverage, fund their tax-preferred accounts, determine costs for medical services, and select hospitals, drugs, and physicians. Everyone saves money when consumers have better information and can make better choices. Nearly 75 million Americans have access to Subimo's tools through their insurance company or employer. For more information, visit www.subimo.com or call 888-SUBIMO-1.

About the Principal Financial Group

The Principal Financial Group® (The Principal ®)1 is a leader in offering businesses, individuals and institutional clients a wide range of financial products and services, including retirement and investment services, life and health insurance, and banking through its diverse family of financial services companies and national network of financial professionals. A member of the Fortune 500, the Principal Financial Group has $215.0 billion in assets under management2 and serves some 16.4 million customers worldwide from offices in Asia, Australia, Europe, Latin America and the United States. Principal Financial Group, Inc. is traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol PFG. For more information, visit www.principal.com.

Insurance products and services issued by Principal Life Insurance Company

1 "The Principal Financial Group" and “The Principal” are registered service marks of Principal Financial Services, Inc., a member of the Principal Financial Group.

2 As of September 30, 2006.

Contacts 
The Principal Financial Group, Des Moines
Sonja R. Sorrel, 515-362-2431
sorrel.sonja@principal.com
or
Rhonda Clark-Leyda, 515-247-6634
clark-leyda.rhonda@principal.com