eHealth, Inc. (NASDAQ: EHTH), parent company of eHealthInsurance, has launched an educational initiative designed to help consumers and HR professionals make informed decisions about COBRA coverage and COBRA alternatives.

The initiative includes a newly-released national survey which suggests that many consumers aren't even aware of COBRA (Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act) and health insurance alternatives to COBRA. eHealthInsurance also launched a new website called the COBRA Learning Center, which features helpful benefits information and financial tools.

Extending the educational initiative are partnerships with national benefits advisors like Willis Group that work closely with HR professionals and COBRA-eligible consumers. Each aspect of the program is designed to help consumers as they face decisions about COBRA coverage in the wake of increased nationwide unemployment and layoffs.

eHealthInsurance commissioned a nationwide survey of over 1,000 respondents to understand consumer awareness of COBRA and other health insurance alternatives. The survey found that four in 10 adults surveyed knew little or nothing about COBRA. Sixty percent of adults surveyed did not know that individually purchased health insurance can be less expensive than COBRA. Additionally, only 45% of respondents were aware that individually purchased health insurance can provide similar benefits to a COBRA plan.

Additional insights from the survey include:

* Half of those surveyed who were eligible for COBRA coverage at some point in the past elected to receive it for themselves or a family member, while 47% say they declined coverage.

* The most common reasons respondents decided to opt for COBRA health insurance coverage were that they liked their employer's plan and wanted to continue with the same network and/or benefits (59%) and they thought it was their only option for health insurance coverage (52%).

* Expense was the most common reason people eligible for COBRA coverage declined it (68%), followed by the fact they were able to be covered on another family member's plan (44%).

* Thirty percent of those surveyed who refused COBRA coverage decided to go without health insurance coverage.

Complete survey results are available upon request.

To address this information gap, eHealthInsurance launched the COBRA Learning Center (http://www.COBRAlearning.com), which provides information and tools to help consumers and HR professionals learn about health insurance options and make the best choices based on individual needs and budget.