Research

eHealth releases 2012 data on how smoking status and body mass index (BMI) relative to average individual health insurance premiums.

According to eHealth’s 2012 report, The average premium paid for individual policies in the United States was $190 per month (a 3.8% increase vs. 2011) while the average premium paid for family policies was $412 per month (a decrease of 0.5%).

About one-third of adults who provide unpaid care for their elderly parents say they’ll have to use their own retirement savings to help their parents financially. Even more - forty-one percent (41%) - support their parents financially each month, helping with a range of expenses, including food, gas, housing, prescription drugs and medical care. And while the majority of respondents (89%) care for someone on Medicare, forty-four percent (44%) of these caregivers don’t understand important components of the program. These findings are part of a new survey of adult members of AgingCare (www.AgingCare.com), an online community for people caring for elderly parents. The survey was conducted by eHealth, Inc. (NASDAQ: EHTH), America's first and largest private health insurance exchange, and parent company of PlanPrescriber (www.PlanPrescriber.com) and eHealthMedicare (www.eHealthMedicare.com).

eHealth's fall 2012 small employer survey examines employer attitudes toward health care reform, open enrollment, employee wellness and more.

The objective of this report is to provide a nationwide perspective on important cost and benefit trends in the Medicare Advantage plan market. The goal of this report is to aggregate publically available data into a form that helps consumers identify important plan benefits and make informed decisions prior to selecting a Medicare Advantage plan. The challenge for Medicare beneficiaries and their advisors is to choose a plan that fits their current needs, and that is flexible enough to cover unexpected costs in the coming year. The data provided in PlanPrescriber’s Medicare Advantage Landscape Data Highlight report is a high-level national and state-by-state review of available Medicare Advantage plans, as provided by Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) through its Landscape Data files.

Myth #1: Medicare works just like regular health insurance – 40% knew this was a myth. Myth #2: Medicare is free – 70% knew this was a myth. Myth #3: A person can enroll in Medicare any time after they’re 65, without penalty – 23% knew this was a myth. • Myth #4: Medicare covers everything – 81% knew this was a myth.

Less than five percent (5%) of customers were in the Medicare prescription drug plan with the lowest total out of pocket costs available to them, according to an analysis of more than 12,000 user sessions that occurred on PlanPrescriber.com during the 2012 Medicare Annual Enrollment period. The same analysis, released today by PlanPrescriber (www.planprescriber.com), a wholly-owned subsidiary of eHealth, Inc. (NASDAQ: EHTH), found that twenty-four percent (24%) of customers were in the Medicare Advantage prescription drug plan with the lowest total out of pocket costs available to them.

How much does short-term health insurance cost? Individually purchased short-term health insurance policies differ from major medical health insurance in a number of ways. Short-term health insurance policies are optimal for individuals and families in transition who are confident they’ll have access to major medical health insurance within six to twelve months.

Prepared by PlanPrescriber, a wholly-owned subsidiary of eHealth, Inc., this report provides a national perspective on cost and benefit trends in the Medicare Advantage plan market.