eHealth Announces Partnership with SASid Insurance Development to Bring Health Insurance Shoppers Affordable Alternatives for...
October 18 2017 - 9:15AM
Business Wire
eHealth, Inc. (NASDAQ: EHTH) (eHealth.com) has partnered with
the SASid Insurance Development (SASid) to offer medical insurance
packages to customers unable to afford health insurance plans that
meet all the benefit requirements with the Affordable Care Act (the
ACA, or Obamacare).
These medical insurance packages were developed in partnership
with SASid to provide an affordable alternative for people who
cannot afford Obamacare-compliant major medical health insurance
coverage but who still want meaningful protection against
unexpected medical expenses. Medical insurance packages developed
by SASid will be available in 27 states and provide a single point
of service when people need to use their benefits.
These new packages will be available to customers on November 1,
2017, when the 2018 open enrollment period is scheduled to
begin.
Packages developed in partnership with SASid include both
insurance and non-insurance products, such as fixed-indemnity
insurance, telemedicine benefits, prescription drug discount
benefits, and medical advocacy services.
“Our partnership with SASid will allow us to create affordable
products for our customers who cannot afford major medical
Obamacare coverage,” said eHealth CEO Scott Flanders. “We’ve
listened to our customers and developed these medical insurance
packages to better serve those customers who are not getting what
they need from our Obamacare products.”
In addition to offering these new medical insurance packages,
eHealth continues to offer major medical health insurance plans
that meet the coverage requirements of the ACA.
Medical insurance packages do not offer coverage for
pre-existing medical conditions and it is possible, with some
packages, to be declined coverage based on the presence of
pre-existing medical conditions. These products do not provide the
same benefits as major medical plans that meet the coverage
requirements of the Affordable Care Act. In particular, packages do
not provide the full set of minimum essential benefits required by
the Affordable Care Act. Persons going without Obamacare-compliant
coverage in 2018 may be subject to a tax penalty depending on their
individual circumstances.
Obamacare’s Individual Mandate Exemption & the
Affordability Gap
A recent analysis1 found that 43 percent of people who buy
health insurance in the individual market (7.5 million) don’t
receive government assistance (advance premium tax credits,
commonly referred to as Obamacare subsidies) because they earn more
than 400 percent of the federal poverty level.
The ACA defines health insurance as “unaffordable” when the
lowest-priced plan available costs more than 8.16 percent of an
individual or family’s yearly income (MAGI).
With premiums expected to rise by more than 20 percent in some
markets, eHealth recently published a report examining health
insurance costs for families that make too much to receive ACA
premium subsidies in 50 U.S. cities and found that a projected 10
percent increase in 2018 would make their health insurance
unaffordable in 47 of those cities. eHealth also analyzed ACA
health insurance premiums for individuals that make too much to
receive ACA premium subsidies in 25 U.S. cities and found that by
age 45 health insurance would be unaffordable in the majority of
those cities if premiums rise 10 percent in 2018.
Notes:
1As reported on NPR from insurance industry consultant Robert
Laszewski.
Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains statements that are forward-looking
statements as defined within the Private Securities Litigation
Reform Act of 1995. These include statements regarding eHealth’s
partnership with SASid to offer medical insurance packages; the
availability of the new packages by November 1, 2017 in 26 states;
the features and products contained in medical insurance packages;
eHealth’s partnership with SASid allowing eHealth to create
affordable products for customers who cannot afford major medical
Obamacare coverage; and analysis that a 10 percent projected price
increase in 2018 would make coverage unaffordable in 47 out of 50
states for families that earn too much for ACA government subsidies
and in 25 U.S. cities for individuals age 45 who earn too much for
ACA government subsidies for premiums. These forward-looking
statements are inherently subject to various risks and
uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially
from the statements made, including risks associated with:
eHealth’s ability to maintain and perform under the partnership
with SASid; changes in governmental policy or regulation or other
governmental or regulatory actions affecting the health insurance
market; changes in health insurance premiums; the accuracy of
eHealth’s analysis and projections; the availability, benefits,
coverages of medical insurance packages; and other factors that
could cause operating, financial, and other results to differ,
which are described in eHealth’s most recent Annual Report on Form
10-K or Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q filed with
the Securities and Exchange Commission and available on
the investor relations page of eHealth’s website
at http://www.ehealthinsurance.com and on the Securities
and Exchange Commission’s website at www.sec.gov. eHealth
undertakes no obligation to update any forward-looking statement to
conform to actual results or changes in intentions or
expectations.
About eHealth
eHealth, Inc. (NASDAQ: EHTH) owns eHealth.com, a leading private
online health insurance exchange where individuals, families and
small businesses can compare health insurance products from
brand-name insurers side by side and purchase and enroll in
coverage online and over the phone. eHealth offers thousands of
individual, family and small business health plans underwritten by
many of the nation's leading health insurance companies. eHealth
(through its subsidiaries) is licensed to sell health insurance in
all 50 states and the District of Columbia. eHealth also offers
educational resources, exceptional telephonic support, and powerful
online and pharmacy-based tools to help Medicare beneficiaries
navigate Medicare health insurance options, choose the right plan
and enroll in select plans online or over the phone through
Medicare.com (www.Medicare.com), eHealthMedicare.com
(www.eHealthMedicare.com) and PlanPrescriber.com
(www.PlanPrescriber.com).
For more health insurance news and information, visit
eHealth's Consumer Resource Center.
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For media inquiries, please contact:DMA Communications
for eHealth, Inc.Sande Drew, (916)
207-7674sande.drew@ehealth.comoreHealth, Inc.Nate Purpura, (650)
210-3115nate.purpura@ehealth.com
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