FORM 3
        	UNITED STATES SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549

INITIAL STATEMENT OF BENEFICIAL OWNERSHIP OF SECURITIES
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                      	Filed pursuant to Section 16(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, Section 17(a) of the Public Utility Holding Company Act of 1935 or Section 30(h) of the Investment Company Act of 1940	                      	

1. Name and Address of Reporting Person *

Bardin Dan R.	2. Date of Event Requiring Statement (MM/DD/YYYY)
12/10/2007 
	3. Issuer Name and Ticker or Trading Symbol

CONSECO INC [CNO]	
(Last)        (First)        (Middle)

11825 N. PENNSYLVANIA STREET	4. Relationship of Reporting Person(s) to Issuer (Check all applicable)

_____ Director                            _____ 10% Owner
___ X ___ Officer (give title below)          _____ Other (specify below)
President, CIG /	
(Street)

CARMEL, IN 46032       

(City)              (State)              (Zip)	5. If Amendment, Date Original Filed (MM/DD/YYYY)

	6. Individual or Joint/Group Filing (Check Applicable Line)

_ X _ Form filed by One Reporting Person
___ Form filed by More than One Reporting Person	

Table I - Non-Derivative Securities Beneficially Owned	
1.Title of Security
(Instr. 4)	2. Amount of Securities Beneficially Owned
(Instr. 4)	3. Ownership Form: Direct (D) or Indirect (I)
(Instr. 5)	4. Nature of Indirect Beneficial Ownership
(Instr. 5)	
Common Stock  	0  	D  	

Table II - Derivative Securities Beneficially Owned ( e.g. , puts, calls, warrants, options, convertible securities)	
1. Title of Derivate Security
(Instr. 4)	2. Date Exercisable and Expiration Date
(MM/DD/YYYY)	3. Title and Amount of Securities Underlying Derivative Security
(Instr. 4)	4. Conversion or Exercise Price of Derivative Security	5. Ownership Form of Derivative Security: Direct (D) or Indirect (I)
(Instr. 5)	6. Nature of Indirect Beneficial Ownership
(Instr. 5)	
	Date Exercisable	Expiration Date	Title	Amount or Number of Shares				
Stock options  	  (1)	11/26/2012  	Common Stock  	90000  	$12.96  	D  	

Explanation of Responses:	
(  1) 	One-half of these options vests on December 10, 2009 and the other one-half vests on December 10, 2010. These options were granted to Mr. Bardin under the Issuer's Long-Term Incentive Plan in connection with his employment.	

Reporting Owners	
Reporting Owner Name / Address	Relationships	
	Director	10% Owner	Officer	Other	
Bardin Dan R.
11825 N. PENNSYLVANIA STREET
CARMEL, IN 46032			President, CIG		

Signatures		
Karl W. Kindig, Attorney-in-Fact		12/18/2007	
** Signature of Reporting Person		Date

Reminder: Report on a separate line for each class of securities beneficially owned directly or indirectly.	
*	If the form is filed by more than one reporting person, see Instruction 5(b)(v).	
**	Intentional misstatements or omissions of facts constitute Federal Criminal Violations. See 18 U.S.C. 1001 and 15 U.S.C. 78ff(a).	
Note:	File three copies of this Form, one of which must be manually signed. If space is insufficient, see Instruction 6 for procedure.	
Persons who respond to the collection of information contained in this form are not required to respond unless the form displays a currently valid OMB control number.	

                                POWER OF ATTORNEY

          KNOW ALL BY THESE PRESENTS, that the undersigned hereby constitutes

and appoints each of John R. Kline, Karl W. Kindig and Joseph P. Clarke, signing

singly, the undersigned's true and lawful attorney-in-fact to:

          (1)  prepare, execute in the undersigned's name and on the

               undersigned's behalf, and submit to the U.S. Securities and

               Exchange Commission (the "SEC") a Form ID, including amendments

               thereto, and any other documents necessary or appropriate to

               obtain codes and passwords enabling the undersigned to make

               electronic filings with the SEC of reports required by Section

               16(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 or any rule or

               regulation of the SEC;

          (2)  execute for and on behalf of the undersigned, in the

               undersigned's capacity as an officer and/or director of Conseco,

               Inc. (the "Company"), Forms 3, 4, and 5 in accordance with

               Section 16(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and the

               rules thereunder, and any other forms or reports the undersigned

               may be required to file in connection with the undersigned's

               ownership, acquisition, or disposition of securities of the

               Company;

          (3)  do and perform any and all acts for and on behalf of the

               undersigned which may be necessary or desirable to complete and

               execute any such Form 3, 4, or 5 or other form or report, and

               timely file such form or report with the United States Securities

               and Exchange Commission and any stock exchange or similar

               authority; and

          (4)  take any other action of any type whatsoever in connection with

               the foregoing which, in the opinion of such attorney-in-fact, may

               be of benefit to, in the best interest of, or legally required

               by, the undersigned, it being understood that the documents

               executed by such attorney-in-fact on behalf of the undersigned

               pursuant to this Power of Attorney shall be in such form and

               shall contain such terms and conditions as such attorney-in-fact

               may approve in such attorney-in-fact's discretion.

          The undersigned hereby grants to each such attorney-in-fact full power

and authority to do and perform any and every act and thing whatsoever

requisite, necessary, or proper to be done in the exercise of any of the rights

and powers herein granted, as fully to all intents and purposes as the

undersigned might or could do if personally present, with full power of

substitution or revocation, hereby ratifying and confirming all that such

attorney-in-fact, or such attorney-in-fact's substitute or substitutes, shall

lawfully do or cause to be done by virtue of this power of attorney and the

rights and powers herein granted. The undersigned acknowledges that the

foregoing attorneys-in-fact, in serving in such capacity at the request of the

undersigned, are not assuming, nor is the Company assuming, any of the

undersigned's responsibilities to comply with Section 16 of the Securities

Exchange Act of 1934.

          This Power of Attorney shall remain in full force and effect until the

undersigned is no longer required to file Forms 3, 4, and 5 with respect to the

undersigned's holdings of and transactions in securities issued by the Company,

unless earlier revoked by the undersigned in a signed writing delivered to the

foregoing attorneys-in-fact.

          IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the undersigned has caused this Power of Attorney

to be executed as of this 10th day of December, 2007.

                                                     /s/ Dan R. Bardin

                                                     --------------------------

                                                     Dan R. Bardin