Latest news with #eHealth
Chicago Tribune
12 hours ago
- Business
- Chicago Tribune
Terry Savage: AI used to guide seniors to Medicare programs
Does the concept of artificial intelligence intimidate you? Or do you figure it won't have much impact on your life, so why bother learning about it? Well, AI is definitely entering — and improving — your life, whether you choose it or not. When I first wrote about ChatGPT several years ago, AI was viewed as a powerful tool to collect information from huge databases and sort it out to provide answers to questions. Since then, AI has quickly morphed into a useful tool for business and individuals, creating accurate and life-like interactions that make outcomes easier. For example, the new Social Security commissioner, a former tech payments CEO, has announced that Social Security will soon be using AI in its call centers. If the idea of talking to a 'robot' sends chills down your spine, think again. In this column, I'll show you a company that is already using AI in its call center — and generating responses that truly make you think you're talking to a helpful person. A reality check It's a generational thing. When I want help after calling a toll-free number for product information or credit card adjustments or insurance issues, I want to talk to an intelligent human being. I guess there aren't enough to go around! One of my pet peeves is being transferred to a voice messaging system that tries to 'help' me decide how to get answers to a simple question. They offer five choices, none of which is helpful. Representative, please! The only thing worse than a voice-activated decision tree is getting transferred to a live person who just happens to live in a foreign country and who is obviously responding off a script. If I ask to talk to a supervisor, I'm told there is no supervisor available! Don't these companies care about their customers? (Insert your own swear word here!) Artificial intelligence that's real So I must say I was absolutely shocked to hear a demonstration of AI being used by eHealth to start the process of guiding seniors to the appropriate choices for Medicare programs. For many years, eHealth has been a popular health insurance marketplace that helps people find the right insurance coverage by comparison-shopping plans from more than 180 insurers for coverage ranging from Medicare Advantage and supplemental plans to individual and family health policies, along with other benefits such as dental and vision. Many people access eHealth through its website, Others use their toll-free number 1-800-EHEALTH (1-800-343-2584) to reach their licensed and helpful insurance agents. Getting to the agent licensed in your state of residence, and knowledgeable about your specific product request, could take a lot of time during busy days around Medicare enrollment. And what about calls that come in late at night? That's why eHealth created 'Alice' — an AI 'agent' who does not actually sell insurance policies but who asks relevant questions to direct you to the correct licensed agent. You'd swear that you are talking to a live person, since 'her' responses are not only appropriate but friendly. Listening to the demo that eHealth sent me, I was absolutely blown away. I knew that you'd want to hear the same thing, so if you are reading this column online at my website you can click on this link in the article. In this case, an audio demo is worth a thousand words! Even if you're not shopping for health insurance, I recommend listening to this short clip of an interaction between someone calling the toll-free line late at night and the AI agent, Alice. This company has taken AI to the next level. Suddenly, you'll understand how much more helpful an AI agent can be than a call center in the middle of nowhere! And, on a personal level, you'll see how AI has so much potential to change our lives for the better (yes, or for the worse). I spoke with Ketan Babaria, chief digital and AI officer of eHealth. He notes that while AI is not (yet) selling policies, it is making a big difference in their processes: 'Our new AI agents are trained to be patient, caring and sympathetic. As a result, we are making it easier and faster for people to start the shopping process for a Medicare plan, enabling them to more quickly connect with a licensed agent who can help them comparison shop for the right health coverage.' So the next time you hear that your call will be answered by AI, don't hang up in fear, hoping that the next time you'll get a 'real person.' Odds are that soon you'll be connecting with many AI agents. And the odds are even better that you'll get the correct answer from a compassionate robot than you'd get from the overworked and underinformed call center worker. That's The Savage Truth.
Forbes
4 days ago
- Business
- Forbes
AI Voice Agents Are Fooling Customers, And It's Working Better Than Expected
AI voices can be hard to distinguish from human voices. Here's something that should make every CMO pay attention: customers at insurance marketplace eHealth can no longer distinguish between human agents and AI voice bots. A recent Wall Street Journal article by Belle Lin quotes Ketan Babaria, their chief digital officer: "Suddenly, we noticed these agents become very humanlike. It's getting to a point where our customers are not able to differentiate between the two." This is a customer psychology breakthrough with major implications for how businesses handle customer interactions. The transition to AI voice agents is happening faster than analysts expected. Gartner's Tom Coshow noted that AI voice agents with natural conversation flow and minimal latency represent "a change that I thought was going to happen a year and a half or two years from now." What's driving this rapid customer acceptance? Three key psychological factors: Expectation Anchoring: When customers are told upfront they're speaking with a "virtual agent," their brains stop looking for deception cues and start evaluating performance instead. Bots deployed by eHealth, an insurance marketplace, tell customers they are "virtual agents" at the beginning of each call. Cognitive Load Reduction: AI agents never get tired, frustrated, or have bad days. They provide immediate responses with consistent tone and clarity. They are never difficult to understand, a common occurence when companies use offshore call centers. This reduces the mental effort customers must expend during service interactions. Consistency Preference: Our brains prefer reliable, predictable interactions over creative but inconsistent human variability, especially for routine customer service tasks. Venture capital investment in voice AI startups surged from $315 million in 2022 to $2.1 billion in 2024, according to CB Insights data. This massive investment reflects real business results companies are seeing. Gartner predicts that generative AI capabilities, from voice to chat, will be present in 75% of new contact centers by 2028. Early adopters are hoping to gain significant advantages in cost reduction and customer satisfaction. The most successful companies aren't hiding their use of AI—they're being transparent about it. This counterintuitive approach works because cognitive consistency theory shows that when customers know what they're dealing with, they evaluate performance rather than authenticity. Consider these questions for your organization: The next evolution involves AI voice agents that can independently perform complex tasks such as making restaurant reservations, closing sales, and placing orders. However, companies must balance automation with human touch, particularly for high-value interactions. Smart CMOs will experiment with AI voice technology now, while their competitors are still debating whether customers will accept it. The data suggests that question has already been answered—customers accept AI agents, even when they are told up-front they are talking to an AI agent. The companies that most quickly figure out how to integrate AI voice tech in a way that fits with their customers's needs and expectations will gain a significant competitive advantage.
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
1 Small-Cap Stock with Promising Prospects and 2 to Approach with Caution
Investors looking for hidden gems should keep an eye on small-cap stocks because they're frequently overlooked by Wall Street. Many opportunities exist in this part of the market, but it is also a high-risk, high-reward environment due to the lack of reliable analyst price targets. The downside that can come from buying these securities is precisely why we started StockStory - to isolate the long-term winners from the losers so you can invest with confidence. Keeping that in mind, here is one small-cap stock that could be the next 100 bagger and two that could be down big. Market Cap: $128.6 million Aiming to address a high-stakes and often confusing decision, eHealth (NASDAQ:EHTH) guides consumers through health insurance enrollment and related topics. Why Do We Think Twice About EHTH? Struggled with new customer acquisition as its estimated membership averaged 1.8% declines Forecasted revenue decline of 3.4% for the upcoming 12 months implies demand will fall off a cliff Depletion of cash reserves could lead to a fundraising event that triggers shareholder dilution eHealth is trading at $4.23 per share, or 2.8x forward EV/EBITDA. Check out our free in-depth research report to learn more about why EHTH doesn't pass our bar. Market Cap: $1.18 billion Tracing its roots back to 1921 when Bill and Salie Utz began making potato chips in their kitchen, Utz Brands (NYSE:UTZ) offers salty snacks such as potato chips, tortilla chips, pretzels, cheese snacks, and ready-to-eat popcorn, among others. Why Are We Out on UTZ? Organic sales performance over the past two years indicates the company may need to make strategic adjustments or rely on M&A to catalyze faster growth Modest revenue base of $1.41 billion gives it less fixed cost leverage and fewer distribution channels than larger companies Low returns on capital reflect management's struggle to allocate funds effectively At $13.51 per share, Utz trades at 15.7x forward P/E. Read our free research report to see why you should think twice about including UTZ in your portfolio, it's free. Market Cap: $1.38 billion Originally known as Safariland, Cadre (NYSE:CDRE) specializes in manufacturing and distributing safety and survivability equipment for first responders. Why Are We Fans of CDRE? Offerings and unique value proposition resonate with customers, as seen in its above-market 9.7% annual sales growth over the last two years Exciting sales outlook for the upcoming 12 months calls for 19.3% growth, an acceleration from its two-year trend Earnings per share grew by 19.7% annually over the last two years and trumped its peers Cadre's stock price of $33.96 implies a valuation ratio of 21.4x forward P/E. Is now a good time to buy? See for yourself in our in-depth research report, it's free. Donald Trump's victory in the 2024 U.S. Presidential Election sent major indices to all-time highs, but stocks have retraced as investors debate the health of the economy and the potential impact of tariffs. While this leaves much uncertainty around 2025, a few companies are poised for long-term gains regardless of the political or macroeconomic climate, like our Top 5 Strong Momentum Stocks for this week. This is a curated list of our High Quality stocks that have generated a market-beating return of 183% over the last five years (as of March 31st 2025). Stocks that made our list in 2020 include now familiar names such as Nvidia (+1,545% between March 2020 and March 2025) as well as under-the-radar businesses like the once-micro-cap company Tecnoglass (+1,754% five-year return). Find your next big winner with StockStory today for free. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Zawya
5 days ago
- Business
- Zawya
Egypt: eHealth, Health Ministry forge partnership to enhance National Digital Health System
Arab Finance: eHealth, a sister company of e-finance for Digital and Financial Investments, signed a cooperation agreement with the Ministry of Health and Population to operate and manage Egypt's National Digital Health System, according to a press release. The joint agreement aims to empower the ministry to develop a comprehensive roadmap for digital transformation in the healthcare sector. The strategic partnership includes integration with the Universal Health Insurance System, boosting governance, and ensuring interoperability of data across public, regulatory, and private stakeholders in the healthcare ecosystem. Moreover, the two sides will collaborate to develop an ideal investment model to promote key private-sector partnerships and encourage financial institutions to contribute to the financing of the digital healthcare infrastructure. Ibrahim Sarhan, Chairman of e-finance, highlighted the urgent need to accelerate digital transformation in the healthcare system. Sarhan expected a positive impact on Egypt's healthcare sector, lauding its contribution to improving the quality of services provided to all citizens. © 2020-2023 Arab Finance For Information Technology. All Rights Reserved. Provided by SyndiGate Media Inc. (
Yahoo
22-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
eHealth Shares Down 2.4% Despite Q1 Earnings Beat, '25 View Reaffirmed
eHealth, Inc.'s EHTH shares have lost 2.4% since the company reported first-quarter 2025 results on May 7, before the opening bell. The strong quarterly results benefited from Medicare segment growth, driven by a 25% surge in Medicare Advantage submissions and a 16% rise in approved members. Higher commissions and other revenues also supported the quarterly performance. However, a significant revenue decline in the Employer and Individual segment partially offset the upside. EHTH reported first-quarter 2025 adjusted loss of 8 cents per share, narrower than the Zacks Consensus Estimate of a loss of 41 cents. The bottom line improved from a loss of 79 cents in the prior year. Revenues amounted to $113.1 million, which rose 21.7% year over year. The top line beat the consensus mark by 23.1%. eHealth, Inc. price-consensus-eps-surprise-chart | eHealth, Inc. Quote Commissions of $98.9 million improved 22% year over year. Other revenues climbed 18% year over year to $14.2 million. Medicare submissions across the core agency and carrier-dedicated Amplify platforms of the company rose 22% year over year on the back of a 25% year-over-year surge in Medicare Advantage submissions. Total operating costs and expenses decreased 2% year over year to $108.3 million due to decreased general and administrative expenses. Interest expenses of $2.6 million witnessed a 6% year-over-year decline. EHTH's net income of $2 million jumped 111% year over year in the first quarter. Adjusted EBITDA soared 858% year over year to $12.5 million. (Find the latest earnings estimates and surprises on Zacks Earnings Calendar.) Medicare: The segment's revenues climbed 26% year over year to $103.7 million. Gross profit totaled $35.7 million, up 62% year over year. The segment benefited on the back of an increase in approved members across Medicare Advantage. Medicare plan approved members rose 16% year over year. Employer and Individual: The unit recorded revenues of $9.5 million, which dropped 11% year over year. Gross profit declined 19% year over year to $6 million. The segment suffered a blow due to decreased individual, family and small business approved members. eHealth exited the first quarter with cash and cash equivalents of $121.1 million, which rose from $39.2 million at the 2024-end level. Total assets of $1.1 billion decreased from $1.2 billion at 2024-end. Total stockholders' equity of $581.6 million decreased from $588.4 million as of the 2024-end figure. Net cash provided by operations totaled $77.1 million compared with $70.8 million in the prior-year quarter. eHealth earlier expected revenues in the range of $510-$550 million, the mid-point of which indicates a 0.5% dip from the 2024 figure. GAAP net income is still projected to remain in the $(10)-$15 million band. Adjusted EBITDA was earlier anticipated to be in the band of $35-$60 million. Operating cash flow was earlier estimated to be in the range of $(25)-$10 million in 2025. EHTH currently carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). Some better-ranked stocks in the broader Finance space are Root Inc. ROOT, EverQuote Inc. EVER and Heritage Insurance Holdings Inc. HRTG, each sporting a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) at present. You can see the complete list of today's Zacks #1 Rank stocks here. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Root's current-year earnings of $1.11 per share has witnessed one upward revision in the past 30 days against none in the opposite direction. Root beat earnings estimates in each of the trailing four quarters, with the average surprise being 208.9%. The consensus estimate for current-year revenues is pegged at $1.4 billion, implying 17.3% year-over-year growth. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for EverQuote's current-year earnings is pegged at $1.17 per share. EverQuote beat earnings estimates in each of the trailing four quarters, with the average surprise being 122.6%. The consensus estimate for current-year revenues is pegged at $640.3 million, suggesting 28% year-over-year growth. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Heritage Insurance's current-year earnings of $3.25 per share has witnessed two upward revisions in the past 30 days against no movement in the opposite direction. Heritage Insurance beat earnings estimates in each of the trailing four quarters, with the average surprise being 363.2%. The consensus estimate for current-year revenues is pegged at $854.9 million, calling for 4.6% year-over-year growth. Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report eHealth, Inc. (EHTH) : Free Stock Analysis Report EverQuote, Inc. (EVER) : Free Stock Analysis Report Heritage Insurance Holdings, Inc. (HRTG) : Free Stock Analysis Report Root, Inc. (ROOT) : Free Stock Analysis Report This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research ( Zacks Investment Research Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
