Obamacare New Year's Resolutions for Health Insurance Shoppers

MOUNTAIN VIEW, CA --(Marketwired - January 06, 2016) - Today eHealth, Inc. EHTH (eHealth.com), the nation's first and largest private online health insurance exchange, offered consumers advice on how to utilize their health coverage and the Affordable Care Act's 2016 open enrollment period to achieve their fitness and financial goals for the new year.

The 2016 nationwide open enrollment period for individual and family health insurance under the Affordable Care Act (ACA, also known as "Obamacare") is scheduled to end on January 31, 2016. After that date, some consumers may not be able to get individual or family health coverage until 2017.

Tackle Your New Year's Resolutions with These Tips

--  Take advantage of gym discounts and health programs. Many health
    insurance plans come with discounted gym memberships or access to health
    management tools and healthy living programs that can help you achieve
    your health and fitness goals for the new year. To learn what's
    available to you, contact your insurance company or visit their website.
--  Reduce your insurance premiums by quitting smoking. Did you know that in
    most states, health insurance companies can charge you more for health
    insurance as a smoker? It's true. In 2015, smokers paid an average
    monthly health insurance premium of $311 while non-smokers paid only
    $272*. If you can beat smoking this year, you may qualify for lower
    premiums next year. 
--  Save more money for health-related emergencies. If your 2016 health plan
    has an annual deductible of at least $1,300 ($2,600 for a family) and
    meets certain other requirements, you may be eligible to open a Health
    Savings Account (HSA). HSAs let you save money on a tax-deductible basis
    for a host of qualifying medical expenses, including copays,
    deductibles, dental care, glasses or contacts, and more. If you and your
    plan qualify, consider making the most of your health coverage by
    opening an HSA. 
--  Bring down your taxable income with HSA contributions. If you want to
    help save on your taxes while also saving for future medical expenses,
    you can deposit money into your HSA until April 15, 2016 for the 2015
    tax year. This could come in handy if you earned a bit too much to
    qualify for the health insurance subsidies you received in 2015.
    Depending on your circumstances, you could potentially avoid needing to
    repay subsidies to the government by depositing money into your HSA.
    Talk to your accountant for more information and to determine if you
    could qualify. 
--  Take advantage of open enrollment before it's too late. The Obamacare
    open enrollment period for 2016 health plans continues through the end
    of January. It's not too late to see if you can save money on health
    insurance or apply for subsidies for 2016. Don't wait until the last
    minute! The open enrollment deadline crush can be frustrating. To see
    what's available in your area, visit eHealth.com today.

Notes:

* Based on consumers who purchased individual health insurance coverage at eHealth.com during 2015 and who did not utilize government subsidies.

eHealth
eHealth, Inc. EHTH owns eHealth.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. eHealth offers thousands of individual, family and small business health plans underwritten by many of the nation's leading health insurance companies. eHealth (through its subsidiaries) is licensed to sell health insurance in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. eHealth also offers educational resources and 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), eHealthMedicare.com (www.eHealthMedicare.com) and Medicare.com (www.Medicare.com).

For more health insurance news and information, visit the eHealth consumer blog: Get Smart - Get Covered or visit eHealth's Consumer Resource Center.


FOR FURTHER INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT:

For media inquiries, please contact:

Sande Drew
DMA Communications for eHealth, Inc.
(916) 207-7674
sande.drew@ehealth.com

Nate Purpura
eHealth, Inc.
(650) 210-3115
nate.purpura@ehealth.com