Area Development
GoHealth, a healthcare company that works with health insurance carriers to aid customer enrollment, will create 250 jobs in Chicago during 2013, as it nearly doubles in size and extends its software platforms, Mayor Rahm Emanuel said. The company’s hiring will range from executives, to sales and support people, to software engineers with exceptional technical skills.

The Mayor said the firm has long been committed to the Chicago area, focused on the effective and efficient distribution of health insurance coverage through the use of technology. GoHealth is currently headquartered in River North, holding two office buildings in the area, with a third location in the Chicago Loop, the Mayor said.

“GoHealth is a thriving company that has made a strong commitment to Chicago and its talent," said Mayor Emanuel. "I am pleased that the company is growing and contributing to Chicago's leadership in the crucial sector of health IT."

“As we continue to grow the team, our downtown Chicago headquarters remains a strategic advantage for GoHealth,” said firm founder Brandon Cruz. “It is critical that we recruit the most talented people in the country, and fortunately, many of them are right in our backyard. As we expand our software platform for the rapidly changing healthcare market, we look forward to continued growth and success in the Chicago area.” The company currently has 350 employees, having added 100 employees in 2012. It works with over 100 health insurance carriers and more than 20,000 licensed agents across the United States.

The company agreed to be a part of the City Colleges of Chicago's "College to Careers" program, working in an advisory capacity to provide insight as to the type of training students receive. Additionally, GoHealth has committed that a portion of its hiring will be done in conjunction with Skills for Chicagoland's Future, an organization that works directly with employers to find jobs for unemployed Chicagoans.

Finally, GoHealth will be working with World Business Chicago to explore ways that the Plan for Economic Growth and Jobs can be integrated with the growing healthcare space. The company will interact directly with the fellows working on the implementation of the plan to determine key areas for the advancement of healthcare information technology in the city of Chicago, as part of the city's overall economic development efforts.

“Our GoHealth technology platform continues to play an integral part in shaping the future of the industry given the health reform laws going into effect and the added volume of consumers entering the health insurance market. We look forward to helping individuals and families get the insurance coverage they need in this evolving marketplace,” said Clint Jones, co-founder of GoHealth.

Last June, GoHealth received a $50 million minority equity investment from Norwest Equity Partners, based in Minneapolis, Minnesota.