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Internet vendor eHealthInsurance is one of the leading sources for individuals, families and small businesses seeking information on the complex and often confusing world of health insurance. The company is licensed to market and sell health insurance policies in all 50 states plus the District of Columbia.
eHealthInsurance's primary features and benefits include the following:
California-based eHealthInsurance acts as a conduit for those seeking information on health insurance. It's a health insurance shopper's emporium, connecting individuals, families and small business owners with the best policies available.
eHealthInsurance can legitimately lay claim to a number of pluses, including:
Health insurance is big business in the United States, and eHealthInsurance is certainly not without its competitors. They include healthinsurancefinders.com, healthinsurancepricing.com and individualhealthquotes.com
Because health insurance policy rates are dictated by law, the eventual quotes one receives should be the same no matter what site is used. That leaves such tangibles as product variation, customer service, reputation and past performance as the deciding factors when choosing a facilitating health insurance site.
After perusing the major players listed above, I've found all of them to be pretty much the same, with some variations. For those who like the most direct approach, eHealthInsurance is perhaps the best bet. With only a zip code, gender designation and date of birth, the various health plans come up on your screen, giving the individual a darned good idea as to what's available and at what cost.
Other factors in eHealthInsurance's favor include a research center, media center and a handy resource guide. The latter features invaluable health care statistics by state. In California, for example, 18.45% of its residents carry no health insurance, with the average hospital cost per inpatient day in the Golden State (before insurance) coming in at $2,250.
Also, eHealthInsurance offers their eHealth Customer Promise: 1) To be your advocate; 2) To have the best prices; 3) To offer the largest selection online; 4) To be available 24/7; 5) To charge no fees; 6) To remain unbiased; 7) To make it simple.
Well, health insurance can be anything but simple, but eHealthInsurance does get an A for effort.
Founded in 1997, eHealthInsurance Services Inc. is a subsidiary of publicly-owned eHealth, Inc. (NASDAQ: EHTH). The company has its headquarters in Mountain View, California, with Gary L. Lauer serving as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer since December 1999. As of 1/27/11, eHealth, Inc. was trading on the technology heavy NASDAQ at $13.32 per share.
Think of eHealthInsurance as a giant clearinghouse, linking consumers to the product of health insurance. That's basically what they do, matching up customers to the best health insurance policies based on individual, family or small business needs.
A visit to eHealthInsurance is an enlightening experience. Lining the top are six major categories: Individual & Family, Small Business, Short Term, Medicare, Dental and Travel. Perhaps receiving the most traffic is the first category, whose drop-down box features ten options: Individual Health Insurance, Family Health Insurance, Short-term Health Insurance, Student Health Insurance, Health Savings Accounts, Dental Insurance, Discount Cards, Vision Insurance, Travel Health Insurance and Long Term Care Insurance.
A handy box is the next step in which an individual enters his/her zip code. That takes you to step two, in which gender selection and date of birth is entered. Click "Go" and up pop an array of health insurance plans from such companies as Celtic, Aetna, UnitedHealthOne, My Health Alliance, et al. For a 28-year-old male living in Illinois who is tobacco free, to cite a representative example, 80 different health plans are available, starting as low as $37.16 per month. One can then examine, analyze and compare the plans offered, taking into account such factors as deductibles, coinsurance costs, office visits and AM Best company ratings. Click "Apply" for any plan and the application process is started, with eApproval offered.
Self-employed individuals or those not covered by health insurance on the job, families, small business owners, college students, COBRA enrollees and Medicare recipients are all prime candidates for eHealthInsurance. Others can also benefit from the website as well strictly for informational purposes. If anyone wants to gauge the true cost of health care insurance – sans what an employer contributes – this is the site to consult. In fact, before the arguments begin on health care policy, check the stats at eHealthInsurance first before entering the bloody fray.
Selected Reviews
"Filled out the application online, got a policy issued within 24 hours. That application is very, very long. But I guess they all are. It was nice to get the policy so quickly. All and all ehealth.com made it pretty easy for me. Give ehealthinsurance a chance." - ehealthinsurance customer, California, InsuranceDirectory.org
"Health insurance is very expensive, but most consider it an essential service. Those who want to seek ways to reduce their health insurance costs or shop for a brand new health insurance policy should consider eHealthInsurance.com. The site helps you find the best insurance policy for your needs, with good customer support, thousands of product offerings, and fair prices all-around." - Bryan-Carey, viewpoints.com
"Save yourself hours of research and let major insurance companies compete for your business on the eHealthInsurance website." - Art Vandelay, articlesbase.com
"My coverage was fine, but when ehealthinsurance filed my application for some reason one of my children was left off the acceptance of the insurance, and I had to call Horizon and have them add my child on to the plan. It was a big inconvenience, but it worked out in the end." - Customer, West Orange, New Jersey, eHealthInsurance Customer Reviews
Accredited by the Better Business Bureau on 11/16/2000, eHealthInsurance is currently given a grade of A by the BBB on a scale of A+ to F. In the last 36 months, a total of 24 complaints were lodged with the BBB against eHealthInsurance regarding the following issues: advertising (1), billing or collection (8), contract (3), customer service (4), refund or exchange (5), sales practices (3). Twenty complaints were resolved by the company and four were administratively closed by the BBB.
No matter what the health care insurance site, everyone pictured is always happy and smiling. That's because good health is always the best health insurance policy. But when looking for something more tangible, give eHealthInsurance a look. It's on the house...
