June 16, 2008 11:32 ET

Assurant Health Partners With TelaDoc Medical Services

MILWAUKEE, WI and DALLAS, TX--(Marketwire - June 16, 2008) - Assurant Health, a Milwaukee, WI-based national provider of individual medical, small group and specialty health insurance products, and TelaDoc Medical Services, the nation's leading platform in telehealth, announced today a partnership that will provide new Assurant Health customers with access to TelaDoc's national network of board-certified, licensed primary care physicians on demand over the telephone.

Through TelaDoc, experienced physicians have access to patient-members' medical records. Patient-members simply call TelaDoc to request a consultation from a doctor who will call back to diagnose routine, non-emergency medical problems. Doctors can recommend treatment or prescribe short-term medication over the telephone, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. TelaDoc also provides a portable electronic health record that is available free of charge to both patients and physicians.

"Telephone consultations with physicians improve access to health services and allow customers to avoid the expense and time of urgent care facilities, emergency rooms or visits to the doctor," said Scott Krienke, Senior Vice President, Individual Markets, at Assurant Health. "With TelaDoc, customers will be able to reduce their health care costs while at the same time have convenient access to physicians at any time."

Michael Gorton, Chief Executive Officer at TelaDoc, said, "Consumers, employers and insurers want low-cost, consumer-driven health programs that are easy to access and use. TelaDoc is a proven approach that works for more than one million members so far and we're excited to provide the service to Assurant Health customers."

"Our partnership with TelaDoc further strengthens our commitment to providing Assurant Health agents with the best, most innovative health insurance services and products for their clients," said Krienke.

Access to TelaDoc will be available to new Assurant Health customers on certain Assurant Health plans in select states beginning July 26, 2008, for effective dates of September 1, 2008. Wider rollout of the service is expected in the future.

About Assurant Health

Assurant Health has been in business since 1892 and is the brand name for products underwritten and issued by Time Insurance Company, John Alden Life Insurance Company and Union Security Insurance Company. Together, these three underwriting companies provide health insurance coverage for almost one million people nationwide. Primary products include individual medical, small group, short-term and student health insurance products, consumer-choice products such as Health Savings Accounts and Health Reimbursement Arrangements, as well as non-insurance products. With almost 3,000 employees, Assurant Health is headquartered in Milwaukee, WI, and has operations offices in Minnesota, Idaho and Florida, as well as sales offices across the country. The Assurant Health Web site is www.assuranthealth.com

Assurant Health is part of Assurant, a premier provider of specialized insurance products and related services in North America and selected international markets. Its four key businesses -- Assurant Solutions; Assurant Specialty Property; Assurant Health; and Assurant Employee Benefits -- have partnered with clients who are leaders in their industries and have built leadership positions in a number of specialty insurance market segments worldwide.

Assurant, a Fortune 500 company and a member of the S&P 500, is traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol AIZ. Assurant has over $26 billion in assets and $8 billion in annual revenue. www.assurant.com

About TelaDoc

TelaDoc Medical Services (www.TelaDoc.com) is a Texas corporation founded in 2003. TelaDoc is a national physicians' association licensed in 50 states, providing consumer members with affordable, around-the-clock access to telephone consultations with trained primary care doctors who diagnose medical problems and, when necessary, prescribe medications. Contact: 800.835.2362 or jgary@TelaDoc.com.