SAN MATEO, Calif., Apr 26, 2012 (BUSINESS WIRE) — Extend Health Inc., a leading provider of health benefits management services, including the nation’s largest private Medicare exchange, received two first place awards from Bethesda, Maryland-based Coventry Health Care, Inc. CVH +1.62% for exceptional customer service performance by a partner in 2011. The awards recognized the following:

– Zero customer complaints reported to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) by seniors signing up for Coventry private Medicare supplement plans through Extend Health;

– The lowest 90-day plan cancellation rate — called rapid disenrollment — which, at just 0.5 percent, was far less than the typical rate.

Coventry Health Care presented the awards at its annual National Distribution Partner Medicare Meeting in Scottsdale, Arizona, on March 20–22, 2012.

“Extend Health has grown to be one of our most effective partners in assisting seniors in comparing, choosing and enrolling in Medicare plans that meet their needs,” said Armando Luna, Jr., Coventry’s Medicare Marketing & Sales Vice President. “Selecting a Medicare plan is one of the important health care decisions a senior can make, and having a partner like Extend Health, who consistently helps remove worry and obstacles, is extremely valuable.”

Examples of some typical complaints that are reported to CMS, which Extend Health helped seniors enrolling in Coventry plans avoid, include:

– Difficulty enrolling in their plans efficiently(1) –Seniors inquiring about Coventry’s Medicare plans through Extend Health are guided through the process of choosing a plan and enrolling in it by licensed benefit advisors who are available by phone. In an industry where it is not uncommon for enrollments to be sent by fax or even mailed, Extend Health transmits enrollment information electronically to Coventry within 24 hours, eliminating time and errors caused by having to manually process paperwork.

– Trouble evaluating plans(2) — In addition to providing licensed benefit advisors to guide seniors, the Extend Health private Medicare exchange includes powerful decision-support tools that take into consideration seniors’ unique health care and lifestyle profiles when they are evaluating plans.

“The Coventry awards speak to the high priority both our organizations place on ensuring seniors have a high-quality experience in both enrolling through our private Medicare exchange as well as in ongoing customer service and support,” said Colin Rogers, Vice President of Carrier Services for Extend Health. “Coventry is an outstanding example of how our partners ensure seniors feel welcomed and are offered peace of mind throughout the life of their Medicare plan enrollment.”

About Coventry Health Care

Coventry Health Care is a diversified national managed healthcare company based in Bethesda, Maryland, operating health plans, insurance companies, network rental and workers’ compensation services companies. Coventry provides a full range of risk and fee-based managed care products and services to a broad cross section of individuals, employer and government-funded groups, government agencies and other insurance carriers and administrators. For more information, visit Coventry on the web at https://www.coventryhealthcare.com .

About Extend Health

Extend Health, Inc., founded in 2004, is a leading provider of health benefits management services, including the largest private Medicare exchange in the country. For more information, visit Extend Health on the web at https://www.extendhealth.com .

Extend Health is a registered trademark of Extend Health, Inc. Other names may be trademarks or servicemarks of their respective owners.

(1)Complaints of this type may be categorized by CMS as Plan not providing timely customer service. (2)Complaints of this type may be categorized by CMS as Facilitated enrollment issues.

SOURCE: Extend Health, Inc.