In the News

[U]sing the Internet as a distribution point will give participating carriers the same access to potential new customers. And that could make it easier for some of the smaller insurers to break into new markets, [says] Sam Gibbs, president of eHealth Government Systems.

Whether you’re a current Medicare enrollee, a newly-eligible Baby Boomer and someone helping older beneficiaries choose plans, with Medicare open enrollment underway, it’s important that you take the time to research your options and not simply sign up for the same plan you had in 2010.

EHealth Inc., an online insurance broker, has won two new government contracts for insurance websites, and has established a separate unit to go after a share of the exchange business.

Companies that operate insurance shopping services, led by EHealth Inc., are creating a new market from a provision in the U.S. health overhaul that requires each state to create an online exchange where consumers can compare and buy coverage.

Ehealth Inc., a large Internet health insurance broker, has been named to help operate the new federal health website, making it one of the first private companies to get a major contract from the federal government under the nation's new health law.

Airtime: Tues. Mar. 30 2010 | 11:57 AM ET Why eHealth is being called a winner in health care reform, with Gary Lauer, eHealth CEO.

Starting in 2014, the new health care reform legislation makes it illegal for any health insurance plan to use pre-existing conditions to exclude, limit or set unrealistic rates on the coverage an individual or dependent can receive. In the meantime, if you have a pre-existing condition, starting in 90 days you should be able to join a national high-risk pool, according to Linda Blumberg, a senior fellow at the Urban Institute.

Further, the U.S., with so many diverse communities and populations, requires many paths to coverage beyond exchanges, including those that are online, in person, and available through affinity programs, schools, community centers, churches, insurance brokers and agents. No single approach serves everyone's needs. Imagine how much less effective the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program would be if it only allowed food stamps to be redeemed at one chain of grocery stores. Far fewer people would utilize the program, leaving millions of Americans hungry.

By entering the online life insurance space, eHealth may bring increased visibility - and competition - to this developing market.

eHealthInsurance customers were surveyed in 2009…The survey revealed that half of all individual health insurance policy holders who purchased a plan through eHealth paid less than $132 in monthly premiums...