Survey: 68% Unsure Of Health Insurance Options If Coverage Lost

Uninsured during a health pandemic and unsure about options: A recent healthinsurance.com survey finds nearly 1 in 4 know someone who has lost their health insurance during this pandemic, but 68% say they don't know what their health insurance options are if they lost their health insurance.

What's more, 40% say it should be the government's responsibility to ensure people have health insurance during a health pandemic.

Respondents of all ages also believe health insurance directly correlates with COVID-19 treatment: 56% think those with insurance are receiving better care than those without insurance, and 33% feel seniors who have a Medicare Advantage plan are getting better COVID-19 treatment.

The survey also revealed that COVID-19 hits close to home for most. 46% know someone who has tested positive for COVID-19, with 25% saying they know someone who has died from complications caused by COVID-19.

In terms of treatment, more than 90% of respondents say the COVID-19 vaccine should be free for everyone. 78% say they will get the COVID-19 vaccine, and 64% say the vaccine should be required.

While 45% of respondents felt hopeful that there is a cure for COVID-19, the survey showed that coronavirus fears remain prominent. 40% of survey respondents avoided going to a hospital for a health problem other than COVID-19 due to fear of being infected, and 74% would opt to use a mail-in COVID-19 test.

Many survey respondents are also feeling the "COVID-19 blues," with 45% reporting a decline in their overall mood since the pandemic began. Stay-at-home orders are taking their toll on some, too, with 37% saying that they feel more stressed working from home. And 21% are struggling to work full-time while caring for their children during the pandemic.

However, technology is helping some people to cure the blues and alleviate the impact of social distancing. The survey showed that 4 in 10 people are enjoying virtual happy hours with friends, family or co-workers.

Turns out, technology is playing a major role in our healthcare landscape, too. 31% of respondents report using telemedicine during this pandemic. And 1 in 4 respondents say they'd consider purchasing a telehealth plan just for the virtual visits with a therapist.

Seniors are embracing this tech trend as well: 23% say they know someone on Medicare who has tried telemedicine. And 39% report an increase in video chatting with their grandkids during social distancing.

View the full survey results here: https://www.healthinsurance.com/learning-center/article/coronavirus-survey-findings

METHODOLOGY:
The above results were gathered through an online poll of more than 1,000 Americans between the ages of 18-64. The poll was conducted from May 5, 2020 to May 7, 2020, gleaning representative samples from each state based on population.

ABOUT HEALTHINSURANCE.COM:
Healthinsurance.com combines the nation's leading health insurance carriers and advanced technology to offer a suite of private insurance solutions and Medicare plan options. In just a few clicks, our website provides consumers the ability to access powerful online comparison tools and educational resources that enable efficient self-guided navigation of available health insurance and Medicare options. For more information, visit www.healthinsurance.com.

FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS:
Healthinsurance.com LLC is part of the Benefytt Technologies family companies (NASDAQ: BFYT). This press release contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements are statements other than historical fact, and may include statements relating to goals, plans and projections regarding new markets, products, services, growth strategies, anticipated trends in our business and anticipated changes and developments in the United States health insurance system and laws. Forward-looking statements are based on our current assumptions, expectations and beliefs are generally identifiable by use of words "may," "might," "will," "should," "expects," "plans," "anticipates," "believes," "estimates," "predicts," "potential" or "continue," or similar expressions and involve significant risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results, developments and business decisions to differ materially from those contemplated by these statements. These risks and uncertainties include, among other things, our ability to maintain relationships and develop new relationships with health insurance carriers and distributors, our ability to retain our members, the demand for our products, the amount of commissions paid to us or changes in health insurance plan pricing practices, our ability to integrate our acquisitions, competition, changes and developments in the United States health insurance system and laws, and our ability to adapt to them, the ability to maintain and enhance our name recognition, difficulties arising from acquisitions or other strategic transactions, and our ability to build the necessary infrastructure and processes to maintain effective controls over financial reporting. These and other risk factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied in our forward-looking statements are discussed in HIIQ's most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) as well as other documents that may be filed by HIIQ from time to time with the Securities and Exchange Commission, which are available at www.sec.gov. Any forward-looking statement made by us in this press release is based only on information currently available to us and speaks only as of the date on which it is made. You should not rely on any forward-looking statement as representing our views in the future. We undertake no obligation to publicly update any forward-looking statement, whether written or oral, that may be made from time to time, whether as a result of new information, future developments or otherwise.