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eHealth Health Insurance Price Index Report for the 2016 Open Enrollment Period (PDF)

23 pages. "[This report] is an in-depth analysis of the cost of individual and family health insurance plans selected by unsubsidized eHealth shoppers during the [ACA]'s nationwide open enrollment period for 2016 coverage. The open enrollment period began on November 1, 2015 and ended January 31, 2016.... The intent of this report is to present a nationwide snapshot of consumer behavior in the individual health insurance market by looking at the cost of health plans actually selected by consumers shopping outside government marketplaces through eHealth.... It does not offer a comprehensive view of costs for all plans available outside government-run marketplaces or through government marketplaces or through private marketplaces other than eHealth."

New Online Resource: eHealth Price Index

"The eHealth Health Insurance Price Index is the first and only tool of its kind, tracking on a daily basis the average monthly cost of individual and family health insurance for plans based on applications submitted nationwide through eHealth. All data is for 2014 Affordable Care Act plans without a subsidy applied.... eHealth is one of the few organizations with national source health insurance data that broadly reflects consumer buying patterns and purchase prices in the self-purchased individual and family health insurance market."

eHealth Inventory Report of Major Medical Health Plans Available Outside Government Exchanges (PDF)

"This study analyzes every major medical health plan available for enrollment at eHealthInsurance.com in 25 cities across the United States between January 25 and February 4, 2014. These plans meet all of the benefit standards of the [ACA] but are not available for enrollment on any government exchange and cannot be purchased with a subsidy.... The analysis includes monthly premiums, deductible, doctor visits and out-of-network benefits for a 29-year-old adult living in the [25 selected cities]."

CEO of eHealth.com to Obama: 'Let Us Take Over' Healthcare.gov

"In a letter to President Obama, [eHealth] CEO Gary Lauer [asked] for the administration to 'allow eHealth to take over enrollment' for the federal marketplace. 'We are ready to help you get this program back on track promptly, with the cooperation of the federal exchange, if you allow us to take over the shopping and enrollment process in all 36 federal exchange states -- without cost to the taxpayer. While your staff is working hard to repair Healthcare.gov, with your support, we can be the stopgap that is needed,' Lauer wrote."

eHealth Wins Contract to Help Run Federal Health Website

Excerpt: The Obama administration awarded eHealth a $19.3 million contract to expand the new federal website, www.healthcare.gov, designed to help people shop for health coverage.

Leavitt Says Katrina Demonstrates Need for E-Health Records

Excerpt: The majority of the one million people displaced by Hurricane Katrina have no medical records, making it difficult for clinicians working in disaster medical centers to treat them, Mike Leavitt, secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services, told the eHealth Initiative conference today.

State E-Health Activities in 2007: Findings from a State Survey

Excerpt: States see e-health initiatives as high-priority; however, they and their private sector partners face significant challenges that accompany such initiatives, including the issues of cost and time required for implementation and for realizing a return on investment. Nevertheless, as reflected in the wide range of e-health activities across the states, a consensus has emerged that these policies and initiatives are significant and well worth the effort.

Study Shows Data Exchange, Privacy Policies Key to State E-Health Systems

Excerpt: Developing an infrastructure for networks to exchange electronic health records and coordinating privacy protections are critical to advance state e-health networks, according to the interim findings of an ongoing study by the American Health Information Management Association, Technology Daily reports.

HHS Report to Congress: E-Health and Telemedicine (PDF)

15 pages. "While this report discusses various aspects of telehealth activities and challenges that apply in some cases to both federal government programs and the private sector, we focus the report primarily on activity occurring within HHS and discuss how delivery system reform initiatives may increase the use of telehealth. We close with a budget proposal related to telehealth in the Department's FY 2017 budget request."

Industry Still Making Sense of Federal E-Health Regs

Excerpt: Health care industry players are still sorting out the latest regulations on an up-to-$36 billion federal program to encourage doctors and hospitals to use electronic medical records.