MOUNTAIN VIEW, CA--(Marketwire - November 16, 2010) - Elance, the leading platform for flexible employment, today announced a partnership with eHealth to provide healthcare options and access to high quality health insurance for small businesses and freelance professionals who work online.
With over 120,000 small businesses and more than 290,000 professionals working online, Elance is committed to help its growing community gain access to reliable information about healthcare and high quality health insurance options. Elance's partnership with eHealth provides the U.S. based Elance community with free health insurance quotes, the ability to compare over 10,000 health insurance products from carriers nationwide and the option to purchase quality health insurance products through an online, paperless process. Members of the Elance community will also have access to a call center staffed with licensed health insurance agents for personal assistance.
"Our community is made up of a diverse group of savvy healthcare consumers from individuals to small businesses with a variety of healthcare needs," said Ellen Pack, vice president of marketing at Elance. "We found that access to reliable information about healthcare options is one of the biggest challenges facing our community, and they need to be able to research and compare a variety of plans suited to their individual needs prior to making such an important purchase decision."
While a growing number of professionals are choosing the freedom of independent work, many feel unsure about healthcare reform and its impact on their lives. A recent survey conducted by Elance revealed that a majority (51%) of respondents didn't know how healthcare reform was going to affect them, and 24% expressed concern that healthcare reform would have a negative impact on independent workers. Although cost was cited as the largest barrier for obtaining health insurance, the majority of survey respondents (85%) identified lack of quality information as a major challenge in selecting health insurance as an independent worker.
To visit Elance's healthcare resource, go to: http://www.elance.com/p/healthcare.html
About Elance
Elance, the world's leading platform for flexible employment, helps businesses hire and manage online instead of onsite.
For businesses looking to staff-up a team on an hourly or project basis, Elance offers instant access to qualified professionals who work online. Elance provides the tools to hire, view work as it progresses and pay for results. Elance is faster and more cost-effective than job boards, staffing firms and traditional outsourcing.
For skilled professionals who want to work online, Elance offers access to qualified clients, a virtual workplace and guaranteed pay for great work. Elancers have already delivered on projects worth more than $317 million.
The company is privately held and headquartered in Mountain View, California. For more information, visit Elance at http://www.elance.com.
Contact Information:
Media Contact:
Carolyn Adams
Borders+Gratehouse
Phone: (415) 963-4174 ext. 4
Email: carolyn(at)bordersgratehouse.com