With group insurance becoming steadily less attractive, insurers  are turning their attentions toward the individual health insurance market, reports the Wall Street Journal. 

Following suit, Health Advocate (www.healthadvocate.com) who serves companies such as General Electric, Home Depot and CBS, is also now making its first venture into the individual health insurance market.

As of January, 2008, Health Advocate is providing its services - FREE OF CHARGE - to all customers who are issued or who renew a major medical health insurance policy through Health Benefits Direct - a publicly traded company that has already helped tens of thousands of people obtain individual health insurance.

Health Advocate provides administrative and informational services to individuals, and eligible family members of such individuals (spouse, dependents, parents and parents-in-law), who purchase major medical health insurance policies (excluding short-term major medical health insurance).  You can read more details here.

This is the first partnership Health Advocate has had with an agency in the individual health insurance market. Based on all signs they may well be leading the way as more companies begin to realize the potential of the individual health insurance market.