DARIEN, IL (December 10, 2001) -- As more than half-a-million displaced Medicare HMO recipients scramble to assess health insurance coverage alternatives this December, Quotesmith.com (Nasdaq SmallCap: QUOT), the online insurance broker that provides instant auto, life, health and annuity insurance quotes from over 300 leading companies, today announced its commitment to helping make the market search process easier for those who will be dropped by their Medicare HMOs by year's end.

This month some 536,000 affected seniors, all of whom are automatically qualified for coverage under traditional Medicare, may be forced to scramble to find new supplemental coverage between now and January 1, the date that more than eighty HMOs in 28 states will be non-renewing their Medicare HMO plans. Ten states account for 82% of affected enrollees: California, Florida, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Texas, Illinois, Connecticut, Michigan, Arkansas and New York.

"Withdrawals, non-renewals and forced benefit changes can weigh heavily on Medicare HMO members who are being forced into having to find new plans," said Quotesmith.com senior vice president, Will Hemsworth. "The good news is that anybody on Medicare who is being dropped by their Medicare HMO is guaranteed eligibility for basic Medicare coverage and also guaranteed eligible for enrollment into any one of four specific Medicare supplement plans, regardless of their age or health status. But you must apply to enroll under a 'Medigap' alternative within 63 days of being terminated by your prior coverage in order to qualify."

A Fast, Convenient, Solutions-Oriented Approach Geared to Seniors

Quotesmith.com maintains a continually updated insurance information Web site that provides instant quotes, vital policy coverage information, latest financial stability ratings and free, downloadable buying guides for a total of 28 different Medicare supplement insurers. Any visitor to www.quotesmith.com is free to obtain instant Medicare supplement quotes and to purchase insurance from the company of their choice.

The guaranteed eligibility applies to four plan types: Plan A, B, C and F. Plan F is a popular 'Medigap' plan, and Plan A is the least expensive. Quotesmith.com offers comparative quotes on all plan types from 28 insurance carriers, financial stability ratings on the carriers from five agencies, benefits explanations and the "2001 Guide to Health Insurance for People with Medicare."

The following table represents sample Medicare supplement policies and premiums available in three highly affected states as of December 3, 2001.

Quotesmith.com is committed to providing a useful, fast and comprehensive insurance information experience on the Internet. The Quotesmith.com service empowers insurance buyers with near-perfect market information (including knowledge of potential savings) which is free, instant, easy to use, up-to-the-day accurate and not available from any other single source.

Recent Accolades for Quotesmith.com

The November 2001 issue of MONEY magazine named Quotesmith.com among the Best Places to Shop on the Web and wrote, "Not only do you see more quotes, but you also get more details about whether you qualify for the best rate." On April 24, 2001 Quotesmith.com was named as one of the Top 10 Insurance Web sites by Personal Finance Online magazine in its inaugural June/July 2001 issue.

About Quotesmith.com

Quotesmith.com owns and operates the industry's largest and most comprehensive insurance price comparison service. The Quotesmith.com Insurance Commerce Platform allows insurance shoppers to instantly view the best prices being offered by more than 300 leading auto, life, health and annuity companies, achieve maximum savings and have the freedom to buy from the company of their choice.

Quotesmith.com provides personalized customer service assistance and policy placement services for its customers and generates revenues from the receipt of commissions and fees paid by insurance companies. Shares of Quotesmith.com trade on the Nasdaq SmallCap Market Exchange under the symbol "QUOT."

Notes to Table

Visit www.quotesmith.com for full details. Illustrative examples based on California ZIP Code 95814 in Sacramento, Florida ZIP Code 32399 in Tallahassee, and Pennsylvania ZIP Code 17120 in Harrisburg. Final premiums and coverage availability can vary depending upon age and state availability. The premiums shown above may include: Alliance Blue Cross Blue Shield, St. Louis, MO, form MK1-2113; American Pioneer, Pensacola, FL, form MSR-104; American Republic, Des Moines, IA, form A3162; Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield of Colorado, Denver, CO, form RD2116; Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield of Nevada, Las Vegas, NV, form P4341; Bankers Fidelity Life, Atlanta, GA, form B9200; Blue Cross Blue Shield of Alaska, Anchorage, AK, form C20-9710; Blue Cross Blue Shield of Delaware, Wilmington, DE form C340; Blue Cross Blue Shield of Illinois, Chicago, IL , form OB3309; Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM , form M576; Blue Cross Blue Shield of South Carolina, Columbia, SC, form 11449; Blue Cross of California, Woodland Hills, CA, form IS2238; Blue Cross of Idaho, Meridian, ID, form N3-345; Blue Shield of California, San Francisco, CA, form T-7483; CalFarm, Sacramento, CA, form GPH11022; Central Benefits National Life, Columbus, OH, form SS1104-1100; Golden Rule, Indianapolis, IN, form 371C-0900; Health Net, Costa Mesa, CA, form 10917; KPS, Bremerton, WA, form MS0101; Lincoln Mutual Life, Fargo, N.D., form 29300038; Oxford Life, Phoenix, AZ, form 5010; Philadelphia American, Broomall, PA, form A-3031; Regence Blue Cross Blue Shield of Oregon, Portland, OR, form 1619; Regence Blue Cross Blue Shield of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, form SUP102; Regence Blue Shield of Washington, Seattle, WA, form 3008; Unicare Life and Health, Bolingbrook, IL, form UC106521; United National Life of America, Mt. Prospect, IL, form UNB017. All rates shown subject to change or withdrawal without notice.

Cautions about Forward-Looking Statements

This announcement may contain forward-looking statements that involve risks, assumptions and uncertainties pursuant to the safe-harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. This announcement also contains forward-looking statements about events and circumstances that have not yet occurred and may not occur. Expressions of future goals and similar expressions including, without limitation, "may," "will," "believes," "should," "could," "hope," "expects," "expected," "does not currently expect," "anticipates," "predicts," "potential" and "forecast," reflecting something other than historical fact, are intended to identify forward-looking statements, but are not the exclusive means of identifying such statements. Investors should be aware that actual results may differ materially from the results predicted and reported results should not be considered an indication of future performance. Reported Web site activity and/or quotes are not necessarily indicative of any present or future revenue. The Company will not necessarily update the information in this press release if any forward-looking statement later turns out to be inaccurate. Potential risks and uncertainties include, among others, Quotesmith.com's limited e-commerce operating history, anticipated losses, unpredictability of future revenues, potential fluctuations in quarterly operating results, seasonality, consumer trends, competition, risks of system interruption, the evolving nature of its business model, the increasingly competitive online commerce environment, dependence on continuing growth of online commerce and risks associated with capacity constraints and the management of growth. More information about potential factors that could affect the company's financial results is included in the company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2000, which is on file with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission. Some insurance companies appear at Quotesmith.com for purely informational purposes only and pay no compensation to Quotesmith.com and some insurers pay commissions or fees to Quotesmith.com based upon premium volume or traffic activity produced by Quotesmith.com. Quote availability by state or any other factor is subject to change without notice. This communication appears as a matter of information only and is not an insurance solicitation. Accordingly, no employee of Quotesmith.com, Inc. is recommending or endorsing any specific insurance company, coverage or policy type within this communication. Quotesmith.com is a registered trademark and/or registered service mark of Quotesmith.com, Inc. All other names are trademarks of their respective owners.

SOURCE Quotesmith.com, Inc.

CONTACT: Will Hemsworth II, Senior Vice President of Quotesmith.com, +1-630-515-0170, ext. 213, whemsworth@quotesmith.com /