eHealth to Kick Off Medicare's Annual Enrollment Period With Enhanced Quality Initiatives to Help Consumers Find the Right Plan

Rhea-AI Summary

eHealth, Inc. (NASDAQ: EHTH) is set to enhance Medicare enrollments starting October 15, 2021, coinciding with Medicare's Annual Enrollment Period (AEP). The company aims to improve enrollment quality through new sales integrity agents, a cloud-based monitoring system, and revised compensation models focusing on customer needs. Furthermore, eHealth has increased the proportion of in-house agents to 95% and provided additional training. With over 160,000 Customer Center accounts and revamped online shopping tools, eHealth aims to deliver a better experience for Medicare beneficiaries.

Positive

• Initiatives to improve enrollment quality through sales integrity agents and cloud monitoring.
• Increased in-house agents from 50% to 95%, enhancing service quality.
• Over 160,000 Medicare beneficiary accounts in the Customer Center.
• Enhanced online shopping tools for better plan comparison.

Negative

• None.

SANTA CLARA, Calif., Oct. 14, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- eHealth, Inc. (NASDAQ: EHTH) (eHealth.com) will mark the October 15, 2021 opening of Medicare's Annual Enrollment Period (AEP) with multiple initiatives aimed at improving the quality and longevity of Medicare enrollments.

Sales integrity agents confirm choices; compensation tied to enrollment quality
It's always been eHealth's goal to match Medicare beneficiaries with the right plan for their personal needs and budget, but the company has rededicated itself to ensuring quality enrollments. eHealth established new sales integrity agents to confirm the enrollee's decision and answer any lingering concerns at the point of enrollment. It also rolled out a new cloud-based agent monitoring system and restructured agent compensation incentives to place more focus on addressing the longer-term coverage needs of customers.

More in-house Medicare agents with more training than ever before
Following last year's open enrollment season, eHealth launched an initiative to significantly increase the number of its in-house agents and decrease its reliance on third-party agents. As the company enters this year's AEP, in-house agents account for 95% of all eHealth agents, compared to 50% prior to AEP last year. This year, eHealth agents have undergone additional levels of training to help ensure quality enrollments. 

A new milestone for Customer Center adoption
eHealth's Customer Center was launched in October 2020. As recently announced, the company enters Medicare AEP with over 160,000 Medicare beneficiary Customer Center accounts. The Customer Center allows beneficiaries to create secure personal profiles describing their prescription drugs, preferred doctors and pharmacies, their current Medicare insurance plan, and other relevant heath care data. The Customer Center is designed to strengthen and support eHealth's relationships with its customers and to help retain their business when it's time to review their plan coverage choices for a new year.

A new emphasis on online shopping tools
eHealth is continuously testing and improving its self-service shopping tools for Medicare beneficiaries. Beneficiaries shopping at eHealth can compare plans based on their personal prescription drug needs and preferred doctors, hospitals, or pharmacies. The company also relaunched its Medicare plan recommendation tool as its "PlanPrescriber" tool, designed to help them identify the plans in their area that best match their coverage needs and preferences.

Gregg Ratkovic, eHealth's President of Medicare commented: "We're heading into AEP with a robust selection of quality Medicare plans nationwide, more in-house sales agents than ever before, and a strong suite of online shopping and comparison tools. We're excited to kick off 2021 AEP with an intense focus on quality enrollments and a delightful customer experience for the Medicare beneficiaries who rely on us."

About eHealth
eHealth, Inc. (NASDAQ: EHTH) operates a leading health insurance marketplace at eHealth.com and eHealthMedicare.com with technology that provides consumers with health insurance solutions enrollment. Since 1997, we have connected more than 8 million members with quality, affordable health insurance, Medicare options, and ancillary plans. Our proprietary marketplace offers Medicare Advantage, Medicare Supplement, Medicare Part D prescription drug, individual, family, small business and other plans from over 200 health insurance carriers across 50 states and the District of Columbia.

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 multiple initiatives aimed at improving the quality and longevity of Medicare enrollments.

These forward-looking statements are inherently subject to various risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from the statements made. The risks and uncertainties that could cause our results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements include our ability to retain existing members and enroll new members during the AEP, competition, consumer satisfaction with our services, and those other factors described in eHealth's most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K and Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q 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.

All forward-looking statements in this press release are based on information available to eHealth as of the date hereof, and eHealth does not assume any obligation to update the forward-looking statements provided to reflect events that occur or circumstances that exist after the date on which they were made, except as required by law.

Media inquiries: 
pr@ehealth.com

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SOURCE eHealth, Inc.

FAQ

What initiatives is eHealth implementing for Medicare's Annual Enrollment Period 2021?

eHealth is launching new sales integrity agents, improving agent monitoring systems, and enhancing agent training to ensure quality Medicare enrollments.

How many in-house agents does eHealth have during the 2021 AEP?

eHealth has increased its in-house agents to account for 95% of all agents, up from 50% last year.

What is the significance of eHealth's Customer Center?

The Customer Center, with over 160,000 accounts, allows Medicare beneficiaries to manage their healthcare preferences securely, promoting long-term customer relationships.

How has eHealth improved its online shopping tools for Medicare beneficiaries?

eHealth has revamped its self-service shopping tools and reintroduced the 'PlanPrescriber' tool to help beneficiaries find plans that best match their needs.