Dental Insurance: New eHealthInsurance Video Outlines the Basics of Buying Your Own Policy

MOUNTAIN VIEW, CA, Sep 06, 2011 (MARKETWIRE via COMTEX) -- Today eHealthInsurance (NASDAQ: EHTH), the leading online source of health insurance for individuals and families, released a new video offering basic information about dental insurance and tips on how to shop for the best plan. The video can be found on the company's YouTube page or media center.

At a time when some employers may be cancelling secondary health benefits like dental insurance -- or passing a greater share of costs for such benefits on to employees -- many consumers are considering their options in the privately-purchased dental insurance market. Many have never purchased dental coverage on their own and are unfamiliar with the differences between plans and the ways in which costs are shared by the insurer and consumer.

The video provides a brief overall refresher on how dental insurance works and includes tips such as the following:

--  Find out which plans are already accepted by your favorite dentist, or
    choose a plan accepted by a broad selection of providers in your area
--  Receive your dental care within your insurer's preferred network of
    providers in order to maximize your coverage levels and minimize
    out-of-pocket costs
--  Know how much your portion of the cost sharing will be for things like
    regular checkups, fillings, or emergency dental work
--  Be aware that some plans require waiting periods for some forms of
    dental work, so you may not be able to buy insurance on Monday and
    have dental surgery on Tuesday
--  Expect that expensive procedures like crowns and root canals may be
    subject to different deductibles and co-pays than routine cleanings,
    depending on your plan

The video also includes an important caveat: Do not expect an individually-purchased dental insurance plan to provide coverage for cosmetic or elective procedures like teeth whitening or dental implants.

Additional Resources

--  Get quotes for dental insurance plans in your area
--  View other health insurance videos produced by eHealthInsurance
--  For more health insurance news and information, visit the
    eHealthInsurance consumer blog: Get Smart - Get Covered

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 individual, family and small business 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 the company's eHealthTechnology solution (www.eHealthTechnology.com), eHealth is also a leading provider of health insurance exchange technology. eHealthTechnology's exchange platform provides a suite of hosted e-commerce solutions that enable health plan providers, resellers and government entities to market and distribute products online. eHealth, Inc. also provides powerful online and pharmacy-based tools to help seniors navigate Medicare health insurance options, choose the right plan and enroll in select plans online through its wholly-owned subsidiary, PlanPrescriber.com (www.planprescriber.com) and through its Medicare website www.eHealthMedicare.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: eHealthInsurance