COBRA Subsidy Help: eHealthInsurance Announces New COBRA Alternatives Hotline to Aid Consumers

MOUNTAIN VIEW, CA, Aug 25, 2010 (MARKETWIRE via COMTEX) --

Today eHealthInsurance (NASDAQ: EHTH), the leading online source of health insurance for individuals and families, announced a new COBRA Alternatives Hotline to help current and former COBRA subsidy recipients better understand their health insurance options and successfully transition to individual and family coverage or other options.

Consumers enrolled in COBRA and facing the expiration of their COBRA subsidy are invited to speak to representatives staffing eHealthInsurance's toll-free COBRA Alternatives Hotline at 888-407-1127. The COBRA Alternatives Hotline is staffed Monday through Friday between the hours of 6AM and 5PM Pacific Time.

The federal COBRA subsidy introduced in March of 2009 was designed to cover 65% of COBRA health insurance premiums for up to 15 months for persons who lost their jobs as the result of a lay off occurring between September 2008 and May 2010. Each month since June 1, 2010, more COBRA enrollees have exhausted their subsidy assistance and been forced to look for coverage options elsewhere or else join the ranks of the uninsured.

"Since the COBRA subsidy began to expire for its first recipients on June 1, 2010, consumers have called our Customer Care Center with questions about their options," said eHealthInsurance Vice President of Customer Care, Gary Matalucci. "With the launch of our COBRA Alternatives Hotline, we are able to give these consumers access to licensed agents ready to provide answers and help them find the best health insurance solution for their personal needs and budget."

Additional Resources:

--  Download a PDF chart illustrating COBRA subsidy timelines and
    different consumer scenarios.
--  To understand what health reform means for you after you've lost your
    COBRA subsidy, watch this video produced by eHealthInsurance.
--  Do your homework: Research individual and family health insurance
    policies at www.eHealthInsurance.com.
--  Understand all of your options -- private or public. Watch the 'Coping
    without COBRA' webinar, featuring experts from eHealthInsurance, the
    Foundation for Health Coverage Education and Healthcare Blue Book.
--  Know your timeline: Calculate the amount of time you have remaining on
    the COBRA subsidy using the eHealthInsurance COBRA Subsidy Calendar
    widget.
--  Don't let pre-existing conditions scare you: If you have pre-existing
    medical conditions, talk to an agent first to see if you might qualify
    with certain carriers, or to learn more about HIPAA plans and other
    options. Then contact the Foundation for Health Coverage Education
    (www.coverageforall.org/) to review public options available in your
    area.

About eHealth eHealth, Inc. (NASDAQ: EHTH) is the parent company of eHealthInsurance, the nation's leading online source of health insurance for individuals, families and small businesses. Through the company's website, www.eHealthInsurance.com, consumers can get quotes from leading health insurance carriers, compare plans side by side, and apply for and purchase health insurance. eHealthInsurance offers thousands of health plans underwritten by more than 180 of the nation's leading health insurance companies. eHealthInsurance is licensed to sell health insurance in all 50 states and the District of Columbia, making it the ideal model of a successful, high-functioning health insurance exchange. Through its eCommerce On-Demand solution (www.eHealth.com/eOD), eHealth is also a leading provider of on-demand e-commerce software. eHealth's eOD platform provides a suite of hosted solutions that enable health plan providers and resellers to market and distribute products online. eHealth, Inc. also provides powerful online and pharmacy-based tools to help seniors navigate Medicare health insurance options and choose the right plan through its wholly-owned subsidiary, PlanPrescriber.com (http://www.planprescriber.com).

For media inquiries, please contact:
Sande Drew
eHealth, Inc.
(916) 207-7674
sande.drew@ehealth.com

Kris Kraves
Cogenta Communications
(805) 527-7733 - direct
kris@cogentacom.com

SOURCE: eHealth, Inc.

mailto:sande.drew@ehealth.com
mailto:kris@cogentacom.com