Forbes.com Profiles EHealthInsurance.com

Forbes.com on Thursday profiled eHealthInsurance.com, a Web site that provides consumers with information on individual health insurance policies and allows them to enroll online. The Sunnyvale-based company, which offers coverage nationwide, addresses a gap in coverage provided by large health insurers -- which often do not offer nationwide individual coverage and focus on large employers -- and helps reduce the number of uninsured U.S. residents, Forbes.com reports. Vip Patel, a former WebMD employee, and his wife Sharon founded eHealthInsurance.com in 1997. The Web site offers information such as copayments, deductibles and premiums on individual health insurance policies offered in a specified area. The site also allows consumers to submit applications and enroll in the policies online. The Web site maintains partnerships with 135 insurance companies, which pay eHealthInsurance.com an average of 20% of the annual premium from individuals who enroll in their policies through the site. EHealthInsurance.com also receives an additional 10% when enrollees renew their policies, regardless of whether they renew through the Web site (Tep, Forbes.com, 11/21).

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