SelectQuote, Inc. (NYSE: SLQT) announced today a strategic partnership with a leading hearing benefits provider to offer high-quality hearing healthcare and hearing aid options at affordable prices. The SelectHearing program will be offered through Population Health, whose members will have access to hearing education, products and dedicated Hearing Consultants.
Through its high-touch consumer focused engagement platform, Population Health is uniquely positioned to help address the undiagnosed and untreated hearing problem within healthcare. “We feel this partnership will provide consumers access to high-quality hearing aid technology and is well aligned to support a recent announcement by the FDA of its initiative to improve hearing aid access to millions of Americans,” says Phil Williamson, Vice President of Business Development, SelectQuote. “We are committed to improving the overall health and wellness of our members and families through lower cost healthcare options and improvements in health literacy.”
In a recent study1 led by researchers at Johns Hopkins School of Public Health, older adults with untreated hearing loss incurred substantially higher total healthcare costs compared to those without hearing loss. Those with untreated hearing loss incurred increased costs of $22,434 per person over a decade, an average of 46% higher than those without hearing loss. The untreated hearing loss segment also had 3.2 more dementia diagnoses, 3.6 more falls and 6.9 more depression diagnoses per 100 people over 10 years.
Hearing is a critical window to the world, and a key source of intellectual and emotional stimulation. People who have untreated hearing loss often withdraw from social opportunities, which can lead to isolation, loneliness and depression. “Population Health’s risk assessment findings illustrate that 21% of members indicate hearing limitations that impact their quality of life,” says Heidy Robertson-Cooper, Vice President of Healthcare Strategy, SelectQuote. “Members share their hearing concerns with us on a daily basis, and we’re excited to now have cost-effective hearing aid options to support their needs.”
Forward-Looking Statement
This release contains forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements reflect our current views with respect to, among other things, future events and our financial performance. These statements are often, but not always, made through the use of words or phrases such as “may,” “should,” “could,” “predict,” “potential,” “believe,” “will likely result,” “expect,” “continue,” “will,” “anticipate,” “seek,” “estimate,” “intend,” “plan,” “projection,” “would” and “outlook,” or the negative version of those words or other comparable words or phrases of a future or forward-looking nature. These forward-looking statements are not historical facts, and are based on current expectations, estimates and projections about our industry, management’s beliefs and certain assumptions made by management, many of which, by their nature, are inherently uncertain and beyond our control. Accordingly, we caution you that any such forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and are subject to risks, assumptions and uncertainties that are difficult to predict. Although we believe that the expectations reflected in these forward-looking statements are reasonable as of the date made, actual results may prove to be materially different from the results expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements.
Our actual results to differ materially from those indicated in these forward-looking statements due to a number of important factors, including, but not limited to, the following: the ultimate duration and impact of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic; our reliance on a limited number of insurance carrier partners and any potential termination of those relationships or failure to develop new relationships; existing and future laws and regulations affecting the health insurance market; changes in health insurance products offered by our insurance carrier partners and the health insurance market generally; insurance carriers offering products and services directly to consumers; changes to commissions paid by insurance carriers and underwriting practices; competition with brokers, exclusively online brokers and carriers who opt to sell policies directly to consumers; competition from government-run health insurance exchanges; developments in the U.S. health insurance system; our dependence on revenue from carriers in our senior segment and downturns in the senior health as well as life, automotive and home insurance industries; our ability to develop new offerings and penetrate new vertical markets; risks from third-party products; failure to enroll individuals during the Medicare annual enrollment period; our ability to attract, integrate and retain qualified personnel; our dependence on lead providers and ability to compete for leads; failure to obtain and/or convert sales leads to actual sales of insurance policies; access to data from consumers and insurance carriers; accuracy of information provided from and to consumers during the insurance shopping process; cost-effective advertisement through internet search engines; ability to contact consumers and market products by telephone; global economic conditions; disruption to operations as a result of future acquisitions; significant estimates and assumptions in the preparation of our financial statements; impairment of goodwill; potential litigation and claims, including IP litigation; our existing and future indebtedness; developments with respect to LIBOR; access to additional capital; failure to protect our intellectual property and our brand; fluctuations in our financial results caused by seasonality; accuracy and timeliness of commissions reports from insurance carriers; timing of insurance carriers’ approval and payment practices; factors that impact our estimate of the constrained lifetime value of commissions per policyholder; changes in accounting rules, tax legislation and other legislation; disruptions or failures of our technological infrastructure and platform; failure to maintain relationships with third-party service providers; cybersecurity breaches or other attacks involving our systems or those of our insurance carrier partners or third-party service providers; our ability to protect consumer information and other data; and failure to market and sell Medicare plans effectively or in compliance with laws. For a further discussion of these and other risk factors that could impact our future results and performance, see the section entitled “Risk Factors” in our most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K that we have filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, and our subsequent filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Accordingly, you should not place undue reliance on any such forward-looking statements. Any forward-looking statement speaks only as of the date on which it is made, and, except as otherwise required by law, we do not undertake any obligation to publicly update or review any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future developments or otherwise.
About SelectQuote:
Founded in 1985, SelectQuote (NYSE: SLQT) provides solutions that help consumers protect their most valuable assets: their families, health and property. SelectQuote pioneered the model of providing unbiased comparisons from multiple, highly-rated insurance companies allowing consumers to choose the policy and terms that best meet their unique needs. Two foundational pillars underpin the company’s success: a strong force of highly-trained and skilled agents who provide a consultative needs analysis for every consumer, and proprietary technology that sources and routes high-quality leads. SelectQuote has three core business lines: SelectQuote Senior, SelectQuote Life and SelectQuote Auto and Home. SelectQuote Senior, the largest and fastest-growing business, serves the needs of a demographic that sees 10,000 people turn 65 each day with a range of Medicare Advantage and Medicare Supplement plans. In 2021, SelectQuote expanded its business with the addition of Population Health, a healthcare services company, and SelectRx, a specialty medication management pharmacy.
1https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamaotolaryngology/fullarticle/2714049
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