Nation’s Largest Private Medicare Exchange Crosses Threshold:
$1 Billion Saved For U.S. Employers Providing Retiree Health Benefits
Burlingame, California – June 8, 2010 –(BUSINESS
WIRE) Extend Health, Inc. announced today that the company has crossed the
threshold of $1 billion in savings for U.S. employers providing retiree health benefits.
The Extend Health Exchange opened for business on November 15, 2006 and has since
served more than 250,000 retirees sponsored by some of the nation’s largest companies,
including each of the “Big Three” auto manufacturers, as well as a growing number
of public sector employers. Extend Health, Inc. is the operator of the country’s
largest private Medicare insurance exchange.
The savings were calculated by comparing the actual cost of client legacy group
plans in comparison to equivalent or better individual private Medicare plans selected
by each client’s retirees from the more than 3,500 plans on the Extend Health exchange.
Employers leveraging the exchange continue to fund health care benefits while Extend
Health helps retirees choose plans that best suit their needs, guides them through
the enrollment process and administers the plans.
“A health care exchange removes wasteful administrative costs and market inefficiencies
out of the health care system, while empowering consumers with choice,” said Bryce
Williams, CEO of Extend Health. “Keeping the quality of health care at the highest
level, while eliminating extraneous non-medical costs, is a key reason why health
insurance exchanges emerged as a central strategy of health care reform legislation.
Our experience demonstrates that exchanges provide a unique and powerful way for
employers to meet their health care obligations while managing costs. Exchanges
offer a rational and predictable way for employers to subsidize health care for
the foreseeable future.”
In addition to employer savings, the average retiree who purchased an individual
Medicare plan on the exchange saved on average approximately $600 a year in total
out-of-pocket costs.
Extend Health offers private Medicare plans from more than 55 national and regional
carriers, including large insurers such as AARP, Aetna, Cigna, Humana, regional
BlueCross BlueShield systems, and UnitedHealthcare.
About Extend Health
Extend Health, Inc. was founded in 2004 to serve Medicare-eligible retirees and
their corporate sponsors. The company operates the country’s largest private Medicare
exchange and has helped more than 250,000 retirees compare and choose the private
Medicare plan that best meets their needs and budgets. With Extend Health employer
solutions, Fortune 500 companies, unions, and public sector organizations can save up to 30%
on retiree health care compared to legacy employer group plans. For more information,
visit Extend Health on the web at http://www.extendhealth.com.
Media Contact:
Rob Wyse
212.920.1470
rob@mediafirstpr.com
Contact us
Individuals & families
Find the right health plan with help from an experienced benefit advisor:
1-866-322-2824(TTY: 1-866-508-5123)
Mon.-Fri. 9 am to 9 pm Eastern
Businesses
Learn more about defined contribution solutions to managing health care costs
1-888-612-8210Mon.-Fri. 9 am to 9 pm Eastern
Media Contacts
For more information, please contact our communications department.
media@extendhealth.com
Rob Wyse
212-920-1470 More contact information ►
