MOUNTAIN VIEW, CA -- 06/19/09 --
eHealthInsurance, the leading online
source of health insurance
for individuals, families and small businesses, today released advice for
consumers interested in purchasing individual health insurance policies.
eHealthInsurance (http://www.eHealthInsurance.com) provides decision-making
and comparison support tools to help consumers make informed decisions when
shopping for health insurance policies at eHealthInsurance.com, including
the "Your Plan Advisor," decision support tool and the Physician's Finder
tool. However, many individual health insurance purchases occur off-line,
which means consumers need to be aware of risks and potential pitfalls
before applying for a plan.
Anyone considering buying an individual health insurance policy -- online
or off-line -- should be aware of, and consider the following risks and
pitfalls.
1. Make sure you can qualify: If you live in Massachusetts, New York, New
Jersey, Maine, or Vermont then you live in a "Guaranteed Issue" state,
which means that you can't be denied medical coverage for pre-existing
health conditions. If you don't live in a state that is guaranteed issue
then you need to be aware of how any pre-existing health conditions you
have could affect your ability to qualify for coverage.
2. Maternity coverage isn't automatic: It is particularly important for
women to know that individual health insurance plans don't automatically
cover maternity benefits. That can be great news if you are looking to save
money, and you don't want to (or plan on) having kids while you are on this
type of plan. But, if you are planning to get pregnant, or you think
there's a chance you could get pregnant, be sure to buy a plan that covers
maternity care. If you can't find a plan with maternity coverage, you may
need to look for a plan that offers maternity as a rider. A rider provides
additional coverage for something specifically not covered with a primary
policy. The rider is added to the primary policy and the policyholder pays
an extra amount of premium for the rider.
3. Limited benefit plans: the buyer should be wary of limited benefit
plans that have a very limited amount of coverage for hospital stays, ER
visits or other costs. Additionally, be cautious of so-called "low cost"
options that promise that anyone will qualify. Either of these may leave
you with big bills to pay in the case of a major hospital stay or medical
emergency.
4. Read the fine print: do your homework and be clear on what you need
and make sure the plan will cover it. Don't assume that everything is
covered. Research plans online and talk to a licensed agent to educate
yourself. Doing a little bit of homework now will save you a lot of money
later.
5. Avoid gaps in coverage: always stay covered. If you have a gap in
coverage, you may not be able to qualify for coverage when re-applying for
health insurance.
More questions? If consumers have questions about these tips or other
health insurance questions, they can talk to an eHealthInsurance licensed
agent, free of charge, at 1-800-977-8860.
About eHealth, Inc.:
eHealth, Inc. (NASDAQ: EHTH) is the parent company of eHealthInsurance, the
nation's leading online source of health insurance for individuals,
families and small businesses. Through the company's website,
http://www.ehealthinsurance.com, consumers can get quotes from leading
health insurance carriers, compare plans side by side, and apply for and
purchase health insurance. eHealthInsurance offers thousands of health
plans underwritten by more than 180 of the nation's health insurance
companies. eHealthInsurance is licensed to sell health insurance in all 50
states and the District of Columbia. eHealthInsurance and eHealth are
registered trademarks of eHealthInsurance Services, Inc.
For more information, please contact:
Nate Purpura
eHealth, Inc.
650-210-3336 - office
805-215-3336 - mobile
nate.purpura@ehealthinsurance.com
Sande Drew
Senior Media Consultant
650-210-3107 - office
916-207-7674 - mobile
sande.drew@ehealthinsurance.com