eHealth Technology Licensed by Group Health Incorporated
MOUNTAIN VIEW, CA, Oct 09, 2007 (MARKET WIRE via COMTEX News Network) -- eHealth, Inc. (NASDAQ: EHTH), parent company of eHealthInsurance, and Group Health Incorporated of New York (GHI) today announced the licensing of eHealth's innovative health insurance shopping platform for use on GHI's consumer website.
"We are excited to expand our role in the New York health insurance market by licensing our e-commerce platform to an industry leader like Group Health Incorporated," says eHealth executive Bruce Telkamp. "Our partnership with GHI will provide New York consumers with more access to the quality, Internet-based health insurance shopping tools they need to make informed purchasing decisions."
"With eHealth's experience and expertise in the online health insurance market, we can enhance our online sales process and better serve the needs of all New Yorkers," says GHI executive George Babitsch, Senior VP, Sales and Marketing. "We expect direct online sales to be a significant part of GHI's overall future sales. With eHealth's powerful, easy-to-use e-commerce platform, we can effectively reach even more New Yorkers who are looking for affordable, quality health insurance coverage."
eHealth's e-commerce platform simplifies and streamlines the complex and traditionally paper-intensive sales and purchasing process, for both consumers and carriers. The proprietary technology includes instant access to online health insurance quotes, the ability to compare benefits from several plans side by side and features such as eHealth's plan advisor tool, physician directories and consumer reviews. The platform will also allow electronic signature and payment integration, enabling consumers to complete the entire application process online.
Once implemented, eHealth's e-commerce platform will power all GHI's direct online sales. Customers who visit the GHI website will use eHealth's technology to receive quotes or apply for coverage under GHI plans.
About eHealth
eHealth, Inc. is the parent company of eHealthInsurance, the leading online source of health insurance for individuals, families and small businesses. eHealthInsurance presents complex health insurance information in an objective, user-friendly format, enabling the research, analysis, comparison and purchase of health insurance products that best meet consumers' needs. eHealth and eHealthInsurance are registered trademarks of eHealthInsurance Services, Inc.
eHealth, Inc. was founded in 1997 and its technology was responsible for the nation's first Internet-based sale of a health insurance policy. The Company is headquartered in Mountain View, California. Additional information can be found at the Company's website, www.ehealthinsurance.com.
About GHI
Group Health Incorporated (GHI) is a statewide health insurer serving New Yorkers since 1937. GHI and its wholly owned subsidiary, GHI HMO, provide health care coverage and administrative services to more than 2.6 million people. GHI offers customers a variety of PPO, EPO, and HMO programs, as well as prescription drug, dental, and vision plans. Throughout its history GHI has pioneered many of the programs that are now standard in the health insurance field.
Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains forward-looking statements as defined within the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These include statements regarding expansion of eHealth's role in the New York health insurance market; eHealth's ability to provide New York consumers with increased access to quality, Internet-based health insurance shopping tools; GHI's expectations that the e-commerce platform will enhance its online sales process, better serve the needs of New Yorkers and that direct online sales will be a significant part of its overall future sales; the effectiveness of the platform in reaching more New Yorkers seeking health insurance coverage; implementation of the platform, including electronic signature and payment integration; and the expectation that eHealth's e-commerce platform will power all GHI's direct online sales and that customers who visit GHI's website will use eHealth's technology to receive quotes or apply for coverage under GHI plans. 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 acceptance of the internet as a medium for the purchase of health insurance; implementation of the platform; GHI's success in marketing its online sales; system failures, malfunctions, bugs or capacity constraints; the performance, reliability and availability of the platform and underlying network infrastructure; e-commerce security risks; GHI resource allocation, system failures or process breakdown; compliance with insurance and other laws and regulations and changes in laws and regulations. Other factors that could cause operating, financial and other results to differ are described in eHealth's most recent Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q as filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission and available on the investor relations page of eHealth's website at www.ehealthinsurance.com and on the Securities and Exchange Commission's website at www.sec.gov. Neither eHealth nor GHI undertakes any obligation to update any forward-looking statement to conform the statement to actual results or changes in expectations.
eHealth Contacts:
Sande Drew
(650) 210-3107
Email Contact
Karen Auby
(650) 210-3186
Email Contact
GHI Contact:
Ilene Margolin
(212) 615-0098
SOURCE: eHealth, Inc.
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