MOUNTAIN VIEW, CA--(October 21, 2014) - Today eHealth, Inc. (EHTH) (eHealthInsurance.com), the nation's first and largest private online health insurance exchange, announced the launch of its new Subsidy Help Center, a dedicated consumer resource center providing educational information, videos, and tools designed to help subsidy-eligible consumers navigate open enrollment and get the health insurance subsidies they may be due next year. The launch of the Subsidy Help Center comes as millions of Americans are beginning to receive notices from their insurers about the renewal of their coverage and subsidies for 2015.

The Affordable Care Act's 2015 open enrollment period is scheduled to begin on November 15, 2014 and continue through February 15, 2015. For many consumers, this open enrollment period may be their only chance to apply for premium subsidies and enroll in the major medical individual and family health insurance coverage they need for 2015.

Today eHealth also published results from a survey of health insurance policy holders who had purchased coverage through eHealth. The survey found that more than three-in-ten (31%) plan to change their current health insurance plan during the upcoming open enrollment period. An additional thirty-six percent (36%) said that they have not yet decided whether to reshop or keep their current plan. When asked how they might have done things differently if they had known during the last open enrollment period what they know now, a third (34%) said they would choose a plan with a lower monthly premium. Nearly a quarter (23%) said that they would pick a plan accepted by their preferred doctor.

The Subsidy Help Center
eHealth's new Subsidy Help Center is designed to address the special concerns and questions of subsidy-eligible health insurance policy holders who are not sure if they should reshop for coverage during the upcoming open enrollment period. In some cases, failure to do so may result in the loss of their government subsidies for 2015.

Resources available through the Subsidy Help Center include the following:

• A subsidy hotline telephone number, 1-844-797-4373, to learn more about premium subsidies available under the ACA and talk with one of eHealth's licensed health insurance agents
• An online chat option allowing them to find answers to personalized questions from eHealth's knowledgeable customer service representatives
• An invitation to join an eHealth-hosted Webcast, titled "Obamacare 2015: An Insider's Guide to Making the Affordable Care Act Work for You," which is scheduled for November 12 at 11:00AM PT. The live Webcast will address changes to the Affordable Care Act for 2015 and answer questions faced by health insurance shoppers during the upcoming open enrollment season
• A video presenting information on subsidies made available through the Affordable Care Act -- plus links to other eHealth videos describing, among other things, why eHealth may be the best place to shop during open enrollment
• Answers to commonly asked questions about subsidy-eligibility and how and when to re-enroll to make sure you receive the subsidy help you deserve
• A calculator allowing consumers to get a ball-park estimate of how their monthly premiums may increase or decrease next year
• An infographic outlining the top five reasons why many health insurance policy holders should consider reshopping for 2015 coverage during open enrollment

eHealth's Subsidy Help Center may be found online at http://ehealth.com/subsidy.

"If I Knew Then What I Know Now": Results from eHealth's Shopper Survey
eHealth conducted a survey of individual and family major medical policy holders to see whether they had any regrets about the plans they purchased during the last open enrollment period and to help understand how their experiences during the 2014 open enrollment period may inform their health coverage decisions during the upcoming open enrollment period. The survey was limited to consumers who had purchased plans through eHealth and a total of 315 responses were collected between August 20 and September 18, 2014. Results from the survey include the following.

On reshopping during the upcoming 2015 open enrollment period:

• More than three-in-ten respondents (31%) say that they plan to change their health insurance coverage during the upcoming open enrollment period
• Another third (36%) report that they are not sure yet but may change their plan during the upcoming open enrollment period

On what they regret about their choices during the last open enrollment period:

• When asked about the one thing they would do differently if they could go back to last year's open enrollment period, more than three-in-ten (34%) said they would choose a plan with a lower monthly premium
• A similar number (30%) said they would choose a plan with a smaller annual deductible
• More than two-in-ten (23%) said that they would make sure that the plan they selected was accepted by their doctor

On what motivated them to shop for coverage during the last open enrollment period:

• When asked what prompted them to enroll in health insurance during the prior open enrollment period, more than two-in-ten (23%) identified the need for access to affordable health care
• Another 21% said that a change occurred in their life requiring them to get a new health plan
• An additional 18% cited the ACA and its tax penalties as the factor that motivated them to purchase coverage

About eHealth 
eHealth, Inc. (EHTH) operates eHealthInsurance.com, the Nation's first and largest private 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. eHealthInsurance offers thousands of individual, family and small business health plans underwritten by more than 200 of the nation's leading health insurance companies. eHealthInsurance is licensed to sell health insurance in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. eHealth, Inc. also provides 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 PlanPrescriber.com (www.planprescriber.com) and eHealthMedicare.com (www.eHealthMedicare.com). 

For more health insurance news and information, visit the eHealth consumer blog: Get Smart - Get Covered or visit eHealth's Affordable Care Act Resource Center at www.eHealth.com/affordable-care-act.

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