eHealth Partners for Exchange Enrollment

In case you missed it, eHealth (eHealthInsurance.com) has struck a deal with the federal government that would allow consumers to access the federal marketplace and its products on their website. eHealth is one of five similar deals being brokered by the federal government. With 60% of the population living in the 36 states with federally facilitated marketplaces, this could mean millions of enrollees who qualify for government insurance subsidies shopping on EHealth.

The irony here is that many of the 36 states under the federal marketplace are those that did not support the ACA and refused to build state exchanges. There is speculation that deals, like the one made with eHealth, could “dramatically boost enrollment in those marketplaces and help keep premium costs low”—both key goals of the ACA. Gary Lauer, CEO of eHealth told CNBC: “The 36 states that aren’t setting up their own exchanges—ironically—may end up being the most efficient operations in terms of exchange enrollment.”