USHEALTH Career Agency Announces America's Choice

FORT WORTH, Texas, March 1 /PRNewswire/ -- USHEALTH Career Agency, Inc. ("USHEALTH Career"), a marketing subsidiary of USHEALTH Group, Inc. ("USHEALTH Group"), announced today the exclusive launch of America's Choice.  A new innovative health insurance plan exclusively marketed by USHEALTH Career, America's Choice provides major medical coverage for hospital confinements and outpatient surgeries, in combination with numerous coverage options. Initially introduced in Alabama, Arizona, Florida, Mississippi, Michigan, Nebraska, Pennsylvania, South Carolina and Wyoming, America's Choice will be available in select markets throughout the country by the end of 2010.

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Affordable, flexible and customizable, America's Choice offers up to $5 million of popular preferred provider network organization coverage with the opportunity to lock-in the initial premium for 12, 24 or 36 months. Another popular feature is the plan's single calendar year deductible, meaning that the medical expenses of the entire family aggregate to satisfy a single deductible during the year, instead of the traditional approach of requiring each covered person to satisfy their own calendar year deductible before benefits are paid.  

A particularly coveted facet of America's Choice is the ability to pair the coverage of this plan with a Health Savings Account (HSA).  HSAs have significant federal income tax advantages, including an income tax deduction for savings account deposits, tax free interest credited to account balances, and no tax on savings account disbursements for qualified medical expenses.  Better yet, when combined with the purchase of an America's Choice health plan, the 2010 tax free annual interest rate credited on the balance of a FDIC insured Health Savings Account with First HSA, Inc. is 4.15 percent.  

"If one thing can be learned from the healthcare reform movement, it is that consumers want choices," said Benjamin M. Cutler, chairman and chief executive officer of USHEALTH Group.  "We set out to create a cutting edge health insurance product hybrid – America's Choice.  And, we've succeeded. This new program gives value-minded consumers a price-competitive plan packed with some of the latest and most popular features in the market."    

"We are particularly proud of the fact that America's Choice is a Health Savings Account qualified plan, and hope that each customer purchasing this plan will open their HSA with our strategic business partner, First HSA, Inc.  At 4.15 percent tax free interest, these savings account balances earn a higher interest rate than most money markets or CDs," Cutler noted.  "This tax free interest rate, guaranteed through 2010, on the balance in an FDIC insured account is comparable to a 5.53 percent tax equivalent interest rate on a CD at a bank for an individual in a 25 percent federal income tax bracket."  

"During the past six years, through our different marketing channels, we have introduced 17 new insurance products including America's Choice.  At USHEALTH, we recognize that consumers have a choice, which is the reason we are dedicated to offering an array of coverage options to our customers."  

America's Choice is underwritten by Freedom Life Insurance Company of America, a subsidiary of USHEALTH Group.

About USHEALTH Group:

Based in Fort Worth, Texas, USHEALTH Group, is a leading national health insurance holding company whose subsidiary insurance companies provide innovative and affordable coverage to individuals, families and small business owners.  The goal of USHEALTH Group is to combine the talents of its employees and agents to market competitive and profitable insurance products while providing superior customer service in every aspect of the company's operations.  For more information on the company, visit www.ushealthgroup.com.

SOURCE USHEALTH Group, Inc.