eHealth, Inc., doing business as eHealthInsurance, is a publicly traded

online marketplace An online marketplace (or online e-commerce marketplace) is a type of e-commerce website where product or service information is provided by multiple third parties. Online marketplaces are the primary type of multichannel ecommerce and can be a wa ...

for

health insurance Health insurance or medical insurance (also known as medical aid in South Africa) is a type of insurance that covers the whole or a part of the risk of a person incurring medical expenses. As with other types of insurance, risk is shared among ma ...

, organized in

Delaware Delaware ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic and South Atlantic states, South Atlantic regions of the United States. It borders Maryland to its south and west, Pennsylvania to its north, New Jersey ...

and based in

Santa Clara, California Santa Clara ( ; Spanish language, Spanish for "Clare of Assisi, Saint Clare") is a city in Santa Clara County, California. The city's population was 127,647 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the List of cities and towns i ...

. The company primarily provides plans related to Medicare such as

prescription drug A prescription drug (also prescription medication, prescription medicine or prescription-only medication) is a pharmaceutical drug that is permitted to be dispensed only to those with a medical prescription. In contrast, over-the-counter drugs c ...

plans,

Medigap Medigap (also called Medicare supplement insurance or Medicare supplemental insurance) refers to various private health insurance plans sold to supplement Medicare in the United States. Medigap insurance provides coverage for many of the co-pays a ...

, and

Medicare Advantage Medicare Advantage (Medicare Part C) is a type of health plan in the United States offered by private companies which was established by the Balanced Budget Act of 1997. This created a private insurance option that wraps around traditional Me ...

plans. The company also sells individual plans, competing with

health insurance marketplace In the United States, health insurance marketplaces, also called health exchanges, are organizations in each state through which people can purchase health insurance. People can purchase health insurance that complies with the Patient Protection ...

s. The company sells plans in all 50 U.S. states and the

District of Columbia Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and Federal district of the United States, federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from ...

from 170 health insurance carriers. Its large staff of licensed agents assist consumers with little or no computer experience with their online enrollments. The company has a corporate office in

, and satellite offices in

Gold River, California Gold River is a census-designated place (CDP) in Sacramento County, California. The population was 7,812 at the 2010 census, down from 8,023 at the 2000 census. Gold River is part of the Sacramento– Arden-Arcade– Roseville Metropol ...

Salt Lake City, Utah Salt Lake City, often shortened to Salt Lake or SLC, is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of cities and towns in Utah, most populous city of the U.S. state of Utah. It is the county seat of Salt Lake County, Utah, Salt ...

Austin, Texas Austin ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Texas. It is the county seat and most populous city of Travis County, Texas, Travis County, with portions extending into Hays County, Texas, Hays and W ...

and

Indianapolis, Indiana Indianapolis ( ), colloquially known as Indy, is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Indiana, most populous city of the U.S. state of Indiana and the county seat of Marion County, Indiana, Marion ...

History

eHealth, Inc. was founded in 1997. In 2006, the company became a

public company A public company is a company whose ownership is organized via shares of share capital, stock which are intended to be freely traded on a stock exchange or in over-the-counter (finance), over-the-counter markets. A public (publicly traded) co ...

via an

initial public offering An initial public offering (IPO) or stock launch is a public offering in which shares of a company are sold to institutional investors and usually also to retail (individual) investors. An IPO is typically underwritten by one or more investm ...

. The company opened at the

NASDAQ The Nasdaq Stock Market (; National Association of Securities Dealers Automated Quotations) is an American stock exchange based in New York City. It is the most active stock trading venue in the U.S. by volume, and ranked second on the list ...

exchange with $14 a share. In 2010, eHealth acquired PlanPrescriber, Inc. for $28.7 million in cash. PlanPrescriber provides tools to help people choose the right Medicare plan. In 2013, eHealth, along with other "web brokers", signed deals with

Healthcare.gov HealthCare.gov is a health insurance exchange website operated by the United States federal government under the provisions of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), informally referred to as "Obamacare", which currently serves the residents of the U. ...

to enroll subsidy-eligible consumers in the newly approved health plans offered through the

Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act A patient is any recipient of health care services that are performed by healthcare professionals. The patient is most often ill or injured and in need of treatment by a physician, nurse, optometrist, dentist, veterinarian, or other health ...

. In 2014, eHealth acquired the Medicare.com

domain name In the Internet, a domain name is a string that identifies a realm of administrative autonomy, authority, or control. Domain names are often used to identify services provided through the Internet, such as websites, email services, and more. ...

for $4.8 million. In March 2015, the company announced 72 layoffs, with plans to lay off 160 people. In May 2016, the company appointed Scott Flanders, a director of the company since 2008, as CEO. Former CEO Gary Lauer continued in an advisory role through the end of 2016. In August 2016, eHealth announced that it had insured 5 million people. In 2017, the company said it rejected

takeover In business, a takeover is the purchase of one company (the ''target'') by another (the ''acquirer'' or ''bidder''). In the UK, the term refers to the acquisition of a public company whose shares are publicly listed, in contrast to the acquisi ...

offers. In 2018, eHealth acquired GoMedigap, a consumer acquisition and engagement electronic platform tailored to

insurance. In 2019 eHealth announced the development of an Eastern Headquarters in

. In March 2020, eHealth announced its follow-on public offering of 1,800,000 shares, priced at $115/share, of its common stock, designed to raise an additional $207M. Three days later they announced the closing of the offering, with the 275,000 share option also having been exercised, raising a net proceeds of approximately $227.5 million after deducting underwriting discounts and commissions and the estimated expenses of the offering. In November 2021, eHealth appointed Fran Soistman as CEO. Former CEO Scott Flanders continued in an advisory role through the end of 2021.

Political involvement

In 2013, eHealth's former CEO, Gary Lauer encouraged governors that are planning to create their own online healthcare marketplaces to adopt a cost-free enrollment strategy. In 2015, eHealth's former CEO, Gary Lauer advocated reforms to help the middle-class afford health insurance. In 2017, eHealth CEO Scott Flanders argued publicly for changes to the Affordable Care Act in order to lower costs for self-employed, middle-class workers who cannot afford health insurance.

References

External links

Official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ehealthinsurance Financial services companies established in 1997 1997 establishments in California Internet properties established in 1997 2006 initial public offerings Companies listed on the Nasdaq Health insurance in the United States Online marketplaces of the United States Health insurance marketplaces Companies based in Santa Clara, California