eHealth Partners With Union Plus to Provide a Medicare Insurance Exchange and Distribute Medicare Insurance Products to America’s Unions

Business Wire

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- eHealth, Inc. (NASDAQ:EHTH), which operates eHealth.com, a leading private online health insurance exchange, announced today that it has entered into a partnership with Union Plus, a program operated by Union Privilege, the member benefits arm of the AFL-CIO, America's largest labor federation with over 55 affiliated unions representing approximately 12.5 million members and retirees.

Through this partnership, eHealth will provide a Medicare insurance exchange online at www.unionplusmedicare.com and by phone at 888-680-4770. Through these channels, eHealth will distribute Medicare insurance products to members and retirees of the AFL-CIO-affiliated unions that elect to participate in the Union Plus Retiree Health Insurance program.

Union Plus Retiree Health Insurance aims to improve retiree healthcare for its members so that they have more coverage options.

“Union Plus is committed to educating retiring and retired members about the Medicare options that are available to them,” Union Plus CEO Mitch Stevens said. “We selected eHealth because of their ability to offer a wide range of products nationwide and to help members find and purchase the Medicare coverage that best fits their needs and financial situations.”

Union Plus selected eHealth following a robust search and RFP process that involved more than a dozen insurance carriers and healthcare exchanges. eHealth was selected to manage the Union Plus Retiree Health Insurance program because of eHealth’s range of products and its excellent customer support.

eHealth’s national private health insurance exchange has offered assistance to millions of Americans seeking Medicare health coverage since 2009. eHealth’s unique blend of educational resources, online comparison tools, and highly rated customer care teams provide a uniquely comprehensive service offering available to help Medicare-eligible persons navigate their Medicare health insurance options and choose the right plan.

The partnership is designed to give union members and retirees access to eHealth’s world-class, U.S.-based customer care team (which consistently earns a Net Promoter Score above 70), as well as eHealth’s online plan comparison tools to help them choose from the massive inventory of Medicare Advantage, Medicare Supplement and Medicare Part D prescription drug plans available through eHealthMedicare.com.

“The leadership team at Union Plus repeatedly stressed their desire to provide comprehensive customer service and support to working people,” said Scott Flanders, eHealth CEO. “Our over 200 licensed agents and support team members consistently lead the industry in customer satisfaction. Only 7% of Medicare shoppers are enrolled in the Medicare prescription drug insurance that provides them with the lowest out-of-pocket costs for their prescription drugs, according to eHealth’s recent analysis. All too often this occurs because people just don’t know they have the ability to switch plans, or they believe that the process is too complicated. We’re excited to use our technology and talented customer care team to make it easy for union members and retirees to review their benefit options and enroll in the coverage on our platform that best meets their needs at the lowest cost available.”

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains statements that are forward-looking statements as defined within the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These include statements regarding eHealth’s partnership with Union Plus to provide a Medicare insurance exchange and distribute Medicare insurance products. 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 the performance and duration of such partnership, eHealth’s ability to enroll, service and retain members from such partnership and other factors that could cause operating, financial and other results to differ, which are described in eHealth’s most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission and available on the investor relations page of eHealth’s website at http://www.ehealthinsurance.com and on the Securities and Exchange Commission’s website at www.sec.gov. eHealth undertakes no obligation to update any forward-looking statement to conform to actual results or changes in intentions or expectations.

About Union Plus

Union Plus is a nonprofit organization founded by the AFL-CIO, America’s largest labor federation, in 1986 to provide voluntary consumer benefit programs exclusively to union members (current and retired) and their families of its 55 affiliated unions that represent 12.5 million working men and women. Union Plus offers a wide-range of programs, including credit cards, home mortgages, discounts on wireless service, insurance protection, and travel, recreation and entertainment discounts.

About eHealth

eHealth, Inc. (NASDAQ:EHTH) owns eHealth.com, a leading private online health insurance exchange where individuals, families and small businesses can compare health insurance products from leading insurers side by side and purchase and enroll in coverage online. eHealth offers thousands of individual, family and small business health plans underwritten by many of the nation's leading health insurance companies. eHealth (through its subsidiaries) is licensed to sell health insurance in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. eHealth also offers educational resources and powerful online and pharmacy-based tools to help Medicare beneficiaries navigate Medicare health insurance options, choose the right plan and enroll in select plans online through Medicare.com (www.Medicare.com), eHealthMedicare.com (www.eHealthMedicare.com) and PlanPrescriber.com (www.PlanPrescriber.com).

For more health insurance news and information, visit eHealth's Consumer Resource Center.