eHealth Enters the 2017 Obamacare Open Enrollment Period with a Powerful New Health Insurance Comparison Tool That May Save Shoppers Thousands
eHealth offers health insurance shoppers robust consumer resources, a broad supply of plans, and a new prescription drug coverage comparison tool that helps them pick the plan best suited to their Rx needs
The 2017 nationwide open enrollment period under the Affordable Care Act
(ACA or “Obamacare”) begins on
eHealth launches new drug coverage comparison tool
At a time when many health insurance consumers are facing increased premiums for 2017, eHealth’s new prescription drug coverage comparison tool can help many find potential savings on their prescription drug needs.
“The 2017 open enrollment period is here, and eHealth is ready with a
powerful new tool that can help a lot of shoppers save a lot of money on
their prescription drugs,” said eHealth CEO
eHealth’s new prescription drug coverage comparison tool is available in every state where eHealth offers 2017 major medical health insurance plans. It is found on the plan comparison page after shoppers enter their zip code and date of birth to preview plans available in their area2.
eHealth offers a broad selection of 2017 Obamacare-compliant health insurance plans
For the ACA’s 2017 open enrollment period, eHealth has planned to offer access to more individual and family health insurance plans than any other private online marketplace. Unavailable on government-run exchanges, these non-subsidy major medical health insurance plans meet ACA requirements and can protect consumers from 2017 ACA tax penalties if they maintain their enrollment through 2017 without a gap of more than two consecutive months.
According to data reported by the
eHealth makes Obamacare easy for 2017
eHealth’s consumer-focused plan comparison and enrollment website provides consumers with an easy way to find the individual and family health insurance plans best suited to their needs and budget, and to enroll in coverage online. In its efforts to continually improve the consumer experience, eHealth has made hundreds of website enhancements since the close of the 2016 open enrollment period. Online tools and resources available to consumers through eHealth include:
- Streamlined plan renewals for existing customers. Consumers who purchased their 2016 health insurance plan through eHealth can easily reshop for new plans if their 2016 health insurance plans are no longer available or will no longer meet their needs in 2017.
- A fully-functional, mobile-responsive enrollment experience. eHealth’s website is fully mobile-responsive, allowing shoppers to review personalized health insurance quotes and enroll in the plan of their choice through a mobile device.
- The ability to find out which plans are accepted by specific doctors. Many consumers with preferred doctors and hospitals are wary of switching to plans that may require them to change medical providers. Based on network information provided from the insurance companies, eHealth allows consumers to search for plans accepted by specific primary care physicians or specialists.
- Comparison tools that make it easy to narrow down your choices. Consumers can save money on health insurance by shopping from a broad selection of plans and finding the best match for their needs. eHealth allows shoppers to make detailed comparisons of up to five plans at a time. It also allows them to sort their plan choices based on doctors-in-network, monthly premium, annual deductible, coinsurance, plan type, metal level, and now based on coverage of specific prescription drugs.
eHealth offers customer support and resources that make a difference
Health insurance is a complex product and many consumers find the process of selecting a health plan for themselves or their family stressful and overwhelming. eHealth has always put customer support and education front and center. In time for the ACA’s 2017 nationwide open enrollment period, eHealth is offering consumers support and education in the following ways:
- Multiple channels for customer support. eHealth answers questions and helps consumers by telephone, email, and online chat using its staff of licensed insurance agents and knowledgeable representatives.
- eHealth’s Customer Resource Center. Providing health insurance consumers with access to dozens of educational videos, articles on a broad variety of health insurance topics, and more, eHealth’s Customer Resource Center is designed to help consumers better understand their options.
- Free health insurance shopping eBook. eHealth’s free eBook “3 Steps to Understanding the Affordable Care Act” has been updated to help consumers understand the health reform law and how to buy individual or family health insurance for 2017.
Notes:
1 Based on an eHealth analysis of more than 16,000
user sessions in which anonymous consumers utilized the drug coverage
comparison function at eHealth.com
2 Data for the prescription drug coverage
comparison tool and plans offered through eHealth may not be available
in every state, or for every part of every state. Even when a plan is
offered through eHealth in a certain area, the prescription drug
coverage comparison tool may not have enough data to provide a savings
estimate in that area in some cases. See disclaimers and methodology
information provided through eHealth’s
3 Source: Robert Wood Johnson Foundation HIX Compare 2015-2016 Data Sets: http://www.rwjf.org/en/library/research/2015/12/hix-compare-2015-2016-datasets.html. See also: http://www.modernhealthcare.com/article/20161024/NEWS/161029972.
eHealth
For more health insurance news and information, visit eHealth's Consumer Resource Center.
View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20161101005608/en/
Source:
DMA Communications for eHealth, Inc.
Sande Drew, 916-207-7674
sande.drew@ehealth.com
or
eHealth,
Inc.
Nate Purpura, 650-210-3115
nate.purpura@ehealth.com