SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
                              WASHINGTON, DC 20549
                                ----------------

                                  SCHEDULE 13D

                    Under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934
                               (Amendment No. 3)1

                           Coventry Health Care, Inc.
                                (Name of Issuer)

                     Common Stock, par value $.01 per share
                         (Title of Class of Securities)

                                    222862104
                                 (CUSIP Number)

                               Karen E. Shaff,Esq.
                        Principal Financial Group, Inc.
                                 711 High Street
                             Des Moines, Iowa 50392
                                  (515)247-6139
                  (Name, Address and Telephone Number of Person
                Authorized to Receive Notices and Communications)
                                 with a copy to:

                              John W. Blouch, Esq.
                              Jones & Blouch L.L.P.
                       1025 Thomas Jefferson Street, N.W.
                                   Suite 410E
                              Washington, DC 20007
                                  (202)223-3500

                                February 1, 2002
             (Date of Event Which Requires Filing of This
Statement)

     If the filing  person has  previously  filed a statement on
Schedule 13G to report the acquisition  that is the subject of
this Schedule 13D, and is filing this schedule because of Rule
3d-1(e), 13d-1(f) or 13d-1(g), check the following box [_].

     Note.  Schedules  filed in paper format shall include a
signed original and five copies of the schedule, including all
exhibits. See Rule 13d-7(b) for other parties to whom copies are
to be sent.

/1/ The  remainder  of this  cover  page  shall be  filled  out
for a  reporting person's  initial  filing on this  form with
respect  to the  subject  class of securities,  and for any
subsequent amendment containing information which would alter
disclosures provided in a prior cover page.

     The  information  required on the remainder of this cover
page shall not be deemed to be "filed"  for the purpose of
Section 18 of the  Securities  Exchange Act of 1934 or otherwise
subject to the  liabilities of that section of the Act but shall
be subject to all other provisions of the Act(however, see the
Notes).



                                 SCHEDULE 13D

CUSIP No. 222862104
-------------------

     1    NAME OF REPORTING PERSON
               Principal Financial Group, Inc.

     2    CHECK THE APPROPRIATE BOX IF A MEMBER OF A GROUP
     (a) [x]

     (b) [_]
     3    SEC USE ONLY


     4    SOURCE OF FUNDS

               OO

     5    CHECK BOX IF DISCLOSURE OF LEGAL PROCEEDINGS IS
REQUIRED PURSUANT TO
          ITEMS 2(D) OR 2(E)
                                 [_]
     6    CITIZENSHIP OR PLACE OF ORGANIZATION

               Delaware

    NUMBER OF      7    SOLE VOTING POWER
     SHARES                  0
  BENEFICIALLY
    OWNED BY       8    SHARED VOTING POWER
      EACH                   33,714 (See Item 5)
    REPORTING
     PERSON        9    SOLE DISPOSITIVE POWER
      WITH                   0

                  10    SHARED DISPOSITIVE POWER
                             33,714 (See Item 5)

    11    AGGREGATE AMOUNT BENEFICIALLY OWNED BY EACH REPORTING
PERSON
               33,714  (See Item 5)

    12    CHECK BOX IF THE AGGREGATE AMOUNT IN ROW (11) EXCLUDES
CERTAIN SHARES
       [_]

    13    PERCENT OF CLASS REPRESENTED BY AMOUNT IN ROW (11)
               0.06%

    14    TYPE OF REPORTING PERSON

               HC


                                  SCHEDULE 13D

CUSIP No. 222862104
-------------------

     1    NAME OF REPORTING PERSON
               Principal Financial Services, Inc.

     2    CHECK THE APPROPRIATE BOX IF A MEMBER OF A GROUP
     (a) [x]

     (b) [_]
     3    SEC USE ONLY
     4    SOURCE OF FUNDS

               OO

     5    CHECK BOX IF DISCLOSURE OF LEGAL PROCEEDINGS IS
REQUIRED PURSUANT TO ITEMS 2(D) OR 2(E)              [_]

     6    CITIZENSHIP OR PLACE OF ORGANIZATION

               Iowa

    NUMBER OF      7    SOLE VOTING POWER
     SHARES                  0
  BENEFICIALLY
    OWNED BY       8    SHARED VOTING POWER
      EACH                   33,714 (See Item 5)
    REPORTING
     PERSON        9    SOLE DISPOSITIVE POWER
      WITH                   0

                  10    SHARED DISPOSITIVE POWER
                             33,714 (See Item 5)

    11    AGGREGATE AMOUNT BENEFICIALLY OWNED BY EACH REPORTING
PERSON
               33,714  (See Item 5)

    12    CHECK BOX IF THE AGGREGATE AMOUNT IN ROW (11) EXCLUDES
CERTAIN SHARES
       [_]

    13    PERCENT OF CLASS REPRESENTED BY AMOUNT IN ROW (11)
               0.06%

    14    TYPE OF REPORTING PERSON

               HC


                                  SCHEDULE 13D

CUSIP No. 222862104
-------------------

     1    NAME OF REPORTING PERSON
               Principal Life Insurance Company

     2    CHECK THE APPROPRIATE BOX IF A MEMBER OF A GROUP
     (a) [x]

     (b) [_]
     3    SEC USE ONLY


     4    SOURCE OF FUNDS

               OO

     5    CHECK BOX IF DISCLOSURE OF LEGAL PROCEEDINGS IS
REQUIRED PURSUANT TO ITEMS 2(D) OR 2(E)                [_]

     6    CITIZENSHIP OR PLACE OF ORGANIZATION

               Iowa

    NUMBER OF      7    SOLE VOTING POWER
     SHARES                  0
  BENEFICIALLY
    OWNED BY       8    SHARED VOTING POWER
      EACH                   33,714 (See Item 5)
    REPORTING
     PERSON        9    SOLE DISPOSITIVE POWER
      WITH                   0

                  10    SHARED DISPOSITIVE POWER
                             33,714 (See Item 5)

    11    AGGREGATE AMOUNT BENEFICIALLY OWNED BY EACH REPORTING
PERSON
               33,714  (See Item 5)

    12    CHECK BOX IF THE AGGREGATE AMOUNT IN ROW (11) EXCLUDES
CERTAIN SHARES                               [_]

    13    PERCENT OF CLASS REPRESENTED BY AMOUNT IN ROW (11)
               0.06%

    14    TYPE OF REPORTING PERSON

               IC


                                  SCHEDULE 13D

CUSIP No. 222862104
-------------------

     1    NAME OF REPORTING PERSON
               Principal Holding Company

     2    CHECK THE APPROPRIATE BOX IF A MEMBER OF A GROUP
     (a) [x]

     (b) [_]
     3    SEC USE ONLY


     4    SOURCE OF FUNDS

               OO

     5    CHECK BOX IF DISCLOSURE OF LEGAL PROCEEDINGS IS
REQUIRED PURSUANT TO ITEMS 2(D) OR 2(E)            [_]

     6    CITIZENSHIP OR PLACE OF ORGANIZATION

               Iowa

    NUMBER OF      7    SOLE VOTING POWER
     SHARES                  0
  BENEFICIALLY
    OWNED BY       8    SHARED VOTING POWER
      EACH                   0
    REPORTING
     PERSON        9    SOLE DISPOSITIVE POWER
      WITH                   0

                  10    SHARED DISPOSITIVE POWER
                             0

    11    AGGREGATE AMOUNT BENEFICIALLY OWNED BY EACH REPORTING
PERSON
               0

    12    CHECK BOX IF THE AGGREGATE AMOUNT IN ROW (11) EXCLUDES
CERTAIN SHARES                                [_]

    13    PERCENT OF CLASS REPRESENTED BY AMOUNT IN ROW (11)
               0%

    14    TYPE OF REPORTING PERSON

               HC

                                  SCHEDULE 13D

CUSIP No. 222862104
-------------------

     1    NAME OF REPORTING PERSON
               Principal Health Care, Inc.

     2    CHECK THE APPROPRIATE BOX IF A MEMBER OF A GROUP
     (a) [x]

     (b) [_]
     3    SEC USE ONLY


     4    SOURCE OF FUNDS

               OO

     5    CHECK BOX IF DISCLOSURE OF LEGAL PROCEEDINGS IS
REQUIRED PURSUANT TO ITEMS 2(D) OR 2(E)           [_]

     6    CITIZENSHIP OR PLACE OF ORGANIZATION

               Iowa

    NUMBER OF      7    SOLE VOTING POWER
     SHARES                  0
  BENEFICIALLY
    OWNED BY       8    SHARED VOTING POWER
      EACH                   0
    REPORTING
     PERSON        9    SOLE DISPOSITIVE POWER
      WITH                   0

                  10    SHARED DISPOSITIVE POWER
                             0


    11    AGGREGATE AMOUNT BENEFICIALLY OWNED BY EACH REPORTING
PERSON
               0

    12    CHECK BOX IF THE AGGREGATE AMOUNT IN ROW (11) EXCLUDES
CERTAIN SHARES                                    [_]

    13    PERCENT OF CLASS REPRESENTED BY AMOUNT IN ROW (11)
               0%

    14    TYPE OF REPORTING PERSON

               CO


         This Amendment No. 3 amends the Schedule 13D filed on
April 13, 1998 on behalf of Principal Life Insurance Company
(formerly, Principal Mutual Life Insurance Company), Principal
Holding Company and Principal Health Care, Inc., relating to the
common stock, par value $0.01 per share, of Coventry Health Care,
Inc., a Delaware corporation ("CHC"),as amended on October 17,
2000 and January 4, 2002 by Principal Mutual Holding Company and
its successor, Principal Financial Group, Inc., and certain of
their subsidiaries (as amended, the "Schedule 13D").  Unless
otherwise indicated herein, each capitalized term used but not
defined herein shall have the meaning assigned to such term in
the Schedule 13D.

         Item 4 is amended by adding the following:

Item 4.  Purpose of Transaction.

         (a)  On February 1, pursuant to the proposed transaction
described above, PHC sold the 15,103,487 shares of the
outstanding CHC Common Stock which it held.  8,050,000 of the
those shares were sold pursuant to a firm-commitment underwritten
public offering at $19.50 per share. The remaining 7,053,487
shares were purchased by CHC for $20.00 per share.
Furthermore,CHC purchased for $35 million a warrant owned by PHC
to purchase 3,075,182 shares.

         Item 5 is amended to read as follows:

Item 5.  Interest in Securities of the Issuer.

         (a) - (b) As of the date hereof, PFG, PFS, PLIC, PH and
PHC are not the beneficial owners of any shares of CHC Common
Stock, except that PFG, PFS and PLIC, by virtue of their
ownership and control of Invista Capital Management, LLC
("Invista"), an indirect wholly-owned subsidiary of PLIC, may be
deemed to share the power to vote or dispose of, or direct the
voting or disposition of, 33,714 shares of CHC Common Stock, and
therefore may be deemed to be beneficial owners of the shares of
CHC Common Stock beneficially owned by Invista within the
meaning of Rule 13d-3(a) under the Act.

         (c) See Item 4.

         (d) As an investment adviser, Invista invested funds of
investment accounts for which Invista acts as investment adviser
in CHC Common Stock. Consequently, the persons who have
interests in such investment accounts are the beneficiaries of
the right to receive dividends from,or the proceeds from the sale
of, the 33,714 shares of CHC Common Stock for which Invista may
be deemed the beneficial owner.

         (e) Not applicable.


                         SIGNATURE

         After reasonable inquiry and to the best of my knowledge
and belief, I certify that the information set forth in this
statement is true, complete and correct.

Dated: March 15, 2002



                      PRINCIPAL FINANCIAL GROUP, INC.
                      By:/s/ Joyce N. Hoffman
                      ------------------------

                      Joyce N. Hoffman
                      Senior Vice President & Corporate Secretary


                      PRINCIPAL FINANCIAL SERVICES, INC.
                      By:/s/ Joyce N. Hoffman
                      ------------------------
                      Joyce N. Hoffman
                      Senior Vice President & Corporate Secretary


                      PRINCIPAL LIFE INSURANCE COMPANY
                      By:/s/ Joyce N. Hoffman
                      ------------------------
                      Joyce N. Hoffman
                      Senior Vice President & Corporate Secretary


                      PRINCIPAL HOLDING COMPANY
                      By:/s/ Joyce N. Hoffman
                      ------------------------
                      Joyce N. Hoffman
                      Vice President & Corporate Secretary


                      PRINCIPAL HEALTH CARE, INC.
                      By:/s/ Joyce N. Hoffman
                      ------------------------
                      Joyce N. Hoffman
                      Senior Vice President & Corporate Secretary