Online Services Policy and Terms of Use

Effective Date: July 1, 2026

Introduction

At Essence Healthcare, we know privacy is important to you. Privacy is one of your rights as a consumer as well as an Essence Healthcare member. Please review the following information, which explains what data we collect, how we use the personal information you provide, and how we ensure that information is kept secure. This Online Services Policy and Terms of Use ("Policy") applies to the Essence website, Essence mobile applications, and any other digital or online services provided by Essence ("all together referred to as "Online Services") that link to this Policy.

As used herein, "Company," "we," or "our" refers to Essence Healthcare, Inc. and its affiliated entities.

By using or accessing the Online Services, regardless of whether you register or create an account, you consent to the collection, use, disclosure, and storage of information as outlined in this Policy.

When does this Policy Apply

This Policy applies only to information collected through our Online Services and does not apply to information collected through other channels, which may be governed by separate privacy policies. This Policy does not apply to the practices of other companies or other websites or software applications that may be linked from or made available through our Online Services.

Health Information

Identifiable member information we collect through the Online Services will be treated as PHI and the Notice of Privacy Practices will apply and supersede this Policy in the event of any conflict. If you are using the Online Services to enroll in Essence Healthcare or to access information and services related to your membership with Essence Healthcare, the Notice of Privacy Practices will give you specific information and details about how we can use and disclose your Protected Health Information ("PHI"). The Notice of Privacy Practices will also explain all the rights you have concerning the privacy of PHI and how you can exercise those rights. The Notice of Privacy Practices is available by clicking the link below.

Notice of Privacy Practices

Cookies

We may use various technologies, including cookies, pixels, web server logs, web beacons, and other similar technologies to gather non-personal information. A "cookie" is a piece of data that a website can send to your browser while you are using the website. This information may include demographic data, technical information about the technology (e.g., phone, computer) you use to connect to the Online Services, web browser information, your IP address, and browsing behavior such as pages visited and how often they are visited. We may also use third-party analytics companies to provide these services, such as Google Analytics.

These technologies help us remember your information if you visit again; understand how you use and interact with the Online Services; measure the usability of our Online Services and manage and enhance our Online Services and marketing activities. You may disable these cookies at any time by adjusting your browser preferences on your computer. For mobile devices, you can manage how your device and browser share certain device data by adjusting the privacy and security settings on your device. Our Online Services do not currently respond to "Do Not Track" signals received from browsers.

Personal Information

We may collect information that describes or relates to you and is classified as Personal Information or Personal Data under applicable state laws (collectively, "Personal Information"). Personal Information does not include: (1) publicly available information, (2) de-identified or aggregated information, or (3) other information excluded from applicable state laws, including, but not limited to, Protected Health Information ("PHI) governed by HIPAA (see Health Information above).

The Personal Information is collected either directly from you or automatically through your use of our Online Services (see Cookies section). For example, when you enroll in one of our plans, you provide us with some personal information about you, including your name, address, social security number, telephone number, etc. When you create or register for one of our Online Services, the personal information that we collect will be used to associate your Online Services profile with the member information we maintain. If you provide us with personal information on any of our Online Services, we may store and use your personal information for a number of purposes, such as verifying your identity, responding to a request from you, processing an application as requested by you, conducting our business, and complying with applicable laws.

We may use Artificial Intelligence (AI) Technology when processing your Personal Information. This may also involve de-identifying or anonymizing your Personal Information to train, optimize, ground, or otherwise enhance our AI Technology, including disclosure to third parties who help us develop or provide the systems to enable the AI Technology.

Using and Sharing Personal Information

Essence Healthcare will use your Personal Information for us to conduct our business, to the extent such use is permitted by law or for any other purpose with your consent. For example, we will use your Personal Information to communicate with you, provide our products and services, process an application as requested by you, perform authentication of your identity, perform analytics to improve our products, Online Services, and advertising, provide security and protection, and comply with applicable laws, regulations, and legal process.

We may share your Personal Information with third parties with which we have a business relationship or hire to perform services on our behalf and as otherwise permitted by law or in accordance with your consent. We may also share Personal Information within the Company, including among affiliates, or with our parent company, or subsidiaries.

We may share Personal Information if all or part of our Company is sold, merged, dissolved, acquired or in a similar transaction, including in connection with activities that may need to take place prior to such transactions.

Phone Calls and Texts

If you provide us with a telephone number, whether landline or mobile, we may store and use your information to contact you, including contact by telephone call, voicemail, Short Message Service (SMS) text messaging, or through artificial intelligence (AI)-enabled communication tools.

Text messages sent via SMS are not encrypted. This means these messages may be visible to your cell phone provider, an intercepting third-party, or an individual with access to your cell phone. You acknowledge that these text messages will be sent in an unencrypted fashion to the cell phone number you have provided to us, and that these messages may contain personal information and/or health information. We may text you to communicate with you about the following: operational alerts and reminders such as billing and payment, claims, coverage, health and fitness tips, medication reminders, your account information, and health education tools. The frequency of text messages will vary based on program participation and member engagement.

You can cancel/unsubscribe to receiving SMS messages at any time. Just text "STOP," "QUIT" "END," "REVOKE," "OPT OUT," "CANCEL," or "UNSUBSCRIBE" to any SMS messages you receive from us. After you send the cancel/unsubscribe message to us, we will send you a reply message to confirm that you have been unsubscribed. After this, you will no longer receive messages from us unless you choose to re-enroll in text messaging.

If at any time you forget what keywords are supported, just text "HELP" to any SMS messages you receive from us. After you send the message "HELP" to us, we will respond with instructions on how to unsubscribe.

As always, Message and Data Rates May Apply for any messages sent to you from us and to us from you. If you have any questions about your text plan or data plan, it is best to contact your wireless provider. Carriers are not liable for delayed or undelivered messages.

Communication Preferences and Updating Information

Our Online Services may permit you to select how you would like to receive certain communications. You can view and update your communication preferences in your Account/Profile settings after logging into the Online Services. Our Online Services may permit you to view your profile or account, if applicable, and access related Information about you and to request changes to such Information. In the event we have already disclosed some of the information to third parties, we may not be able to update the information maintained by the third party to whom we've made the disclosure.

Mobile Devices and Applications

In addition to the information identified above, we may also obtain information related to your mobile device. This may include demographic, de-identified, or aggregated information, as well as certain device-specific details such as technical information about your device and its system and application software (e.g., type of phone, and operating system (OS)). We may also collect web browser information and server log data, whether collected directly by us or provided through your use of our services.

Your mobile device data is stored securely using industry-standard encryption and access controls. We take reasonable measures to prevent unauthorized access, disclosure, or loss of your information.

Access, Correction and Deletion Rights

Account Deletion (Google Play & Apple App Store Compliance)

We respect your right to control your personal data. If you have created an account within an Online Service, you have the right to request the permanent deletion of your account and its associated personal data.

How to Request Account and Data Deletion

You can request the deletion of your account and associated data by sending a valid request to the Essence Healthcare Privacy Office. Please note that deletion requests apply only to the online account and associated non-health-record data. There are certain legal exceptions, and as a health plan, we are required to retain information that is necessary for us or our service providers to:

  • Complete the transaction for which we collected the personal information, provide a good or service that you requested, take actions reasonably anticipated within the context of our ongoing business relationship with you, fulfill the terms of a written warranty or product recall conducted in accordance with federal law, or otherwise perform our contract with you.

  • Detect security incidents, protect against malicious, deceptive, fraudulent, or illegal activity, or prosecute those responsible for such activities.

  • Debug products to identify and repair errors that impair existing intended functionality.

  • Exercise free speech, ensure the right of another consumer to exercise their free speech rights, or exercise another right provided for by law.

  • Enable solely internal uses that are reasonably aligned with consumer expectations based on your relationship with us.

  • Comply with a legal obligation.

  • Make other internal and lawful uses of that information that are compatible with the context in which you provided it.

Any data retained under these legal exceptions will be secured, and protected by strict administrative, technical, and physical safeguards.

To request account or data deletion, you will need to submit a "verifiable request". This means that you, or someone legally authorized to act on your behalf, may make a request to delete your personal information. To verify your identity, we ask that you provide the following information with your request:

  • First and Last Name

  • Member ID

  • Email address

  • Phone Number

  • Full Address (Street, City, State and Zip-code)

We cannot respond to your request or provide you with personal information if we cannot verify your identity or authority to make the request and confirm the personal information relates to you. We will only use personal information provided in the request to verify the requestor's identity or authority to make the request.

You may submit a verifiable request to delete by:

We will respond to your request within forty-five (45) days of receiving your verifiable request.

What Happens When You Request Deletion:

Upon receiving your request, we will initiate the deletion process:

Account & Profile: Your account credentials, profile details, and identifiers will be permanently deleted from our active databases.

Associated Data & Content: All associated non-health-record data, including user-generated content (such as uploaded files, photos, or text, if applicable), will be removed from our records. In addition, we will delete all non-health-record data from marketing email lists, web browsing cookies, and wellness program preferences.

Third-Party Vendors: If your non-health-record data has been shared with our authorized service providers, we will notify those providers and request that they delete the data from their systems.

Security

We maintain physical, electronic, and procedural safeguards that comply with federal standards. Additionally, we take reasonable precautions to protect personal information from unauthorized use or alteration. To protect from unauthorized access, a secure infrastructure utilizing a defense in-depth strategy is used to safeguard the data that you provide. Please note, we cannot guarantee the security of our Online Services or that your Personal Information will not be intercepted as there is always a risk in sending information over the internet and data transmitted by email is vulnerable to security breaches.

For registered users, your account and mobile application is protected by a password for your privacy and security. You are responsible for safeguarding your account and personal information by selecting and securely maintaining your password or other authentication methods, and by limiting access to your devices, applications, and browsers. We strive to protect the privacy and security of your accounts and the personal information we maintain. However, no system can be guaranteed to be completely secure. Unauthorized access or use, hardware or software failures, and other unforeseen circumstances may compromise the security of your information at any time.

Children's Privacy

This website is not intended for use by children under the age of 13. We do not knowingly collect personal information from any user that is under the age of 13. If you think that we have collected such personal information from a child under the age of 13 through our Online Services, please contact our Privacy Office immediately.

Terms of Use

By accessing and using our Online Services, you acknowledge that you have read, understand, and agree to be bound by these terms and conditions of use, and that you will comply with all applicable laws and regulations. Use of our Online Services is at your own risk and discretion.

Company reserves the right at its discretion to modify the Terms and Conditions and Online Services Policy from time to time. Your continued use of our Online Services after any such modifications shall constitute your agreement to be bound by any such changes. Company may modify, suspend, or discontinue all or any portion of its Online Services without notice or liability.

Information Purposes Only

Company provides the information contained within our Online Services for informational purposes only. No warranty is made that the information provided is error free. The information contained within the Online Services may be, at any time, outdated and may include inaccuracies and/or errors.

Visitors should not construe this information as an offer for medical services or as advice on medical treatments. The information presented is general in nature and is not a substitute for professional healthcare. Consult a physician or other qualified healthcare professional before making health-related decisions.

The information presented by our Online Services describes the products and services offered by Company. Some specific information may be provided but, overall, the information presented may not contain all the applicable terms, conditions, limitations, or exclusions necessary to fully describe the products and services.

Claims, Benefits, and Medical Management

The information provided within our Online Services does not represent a guarantee of coverage or specific payment. All health plan benefits are subject to the terms, conditions and limitations of the specific policy issued, including, but not limited to, eligibility, precertification, exclusions and limitations, and medical necessity requirements. For further information on a health insurance benefit policy and its limitations, please contact Customer Service at the telephone number on the back of your membership card.

Links to Other Sites

Our Online Services may provide links or references to other sites. These links are provided for your convenience, and Company is not responsible for the content of these other sites, cannot be responsible for the privacy practices used by other website owners, does not make any representations or give any warranties with respect to any information contained in or at these other sites, and shall not be liable for any damages or injury arising from the content of these other sites. Company reserves the right to terminate any link at any time.

When leaving Company's Online Services to visit another website, we recommend that you review that third party's terms and conditions and Policy.

Notification of Changes

Company reserves the right to change the content within all Online Services and this Policy at any time without notice. If we do so, such changes will appear on this page, and you can visit this Policy to learn of any updates. Your continued access to or use of the Online Services constitutes your consent to the changes to this Policy.

No Warranty

The materials, information, and services provided on our Online Services as provided "as is" without any warranty of any kind, either express or implied, including, but not limited to, an implied warranty of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, or infringement. There is no warranty that use of our Online Services will be error free or that it will not interfere with your use and enjoyment of other information or services.

Essence Healthcare is based in the United States, and our Online Services are intended for use only by persons located in the United States. We make no claims that our Online Services or any of its content is accessible or appropriate outside of the United States.

Intellectual Property

The website, mobile application and its entire contents (including but not limited to all information, software, text, images, video, and audio) and other intellectual property (including trademarks, service marks and copyrights) on our Online Services are owned by Company, its licensors, or other providers of such material and are protected by intellectual property laws. You may not use Company logos, trademarks, service marks, or copyrights without the prior written permission of Company. You may use our Online Services and its contents solely for your personal, non-commercial use and no ownership interest is transferred to you by virtue of making the website, mobile application, or any intellectual property on the Online Services available.

Contact Information

If you have any questions concerning the Policy, please direct them in writing to:
Privacy Office
13900 Riverport Drive
Maryland Heights, MO 63043
privacy@lumeris.com