Sidecar Health offers major medical insurance for employers using a free‑market model that provides upfront pricing, no prior authorizations, no network restrictions, and a direct‑pay VISA benefit card for members. The company emphasizes price transparency, sharing savings with members when providers charge less than plan rates, and asserts plans are about 20% more affordable than traditional employer plans. Sidecar’s product removes restrictive formularies, coinsurance, and copays while adding financial protections against balance billing. Sidecar currently operates employer plans in Ohio and Georgia and is expanding into Florida to access a large employer market. The company has enlisted Koch Industries as a design partner for Jumbo employer coverage and will make major medical coverage available to a segment of Koch’s workforce in 2025. The business model is positioned to scale through employer adoption and regional expansion backed by recent institutional capital. Sidecar Health offers a cash-price health insurance model and a proprietary app that shows benefit amounts for more than 170,000 services and prescriptions before care. Members pay providers directly at time of care using a Sidecar Health Visa card, enabling them to access discounted self-pay rates and avoid network restraints and surprise bills. The company says members can save 40% or more compared with traditional insurance and can view what other members were charged for services. Reception has been strong: membership rose sharply in 2020, third-party Trustpilot reviews average 4.5 out of 5, and the company is operating in 16 states. Sidecar plans to expand its geographic footprint, grow its team, and invest in new insurance products, beginning with an Affordable Care Act offering for 2022 and a product for the self-funded employer market. Financially, Sidecar has raised more than $175 million since its 2018 founding and announced a Series C at a $1 billion valuation. Sidecar Health offers insurance plans that let members pay for care directly at the time of service using a Sidecar Health Visa card and mobile app, enabling access to providers’ discounted self-pay or cash rates. The company reports members save roughly 40% compared to traditional insurance and covers about 170,000 medical services and prescription drugs. Sidecar is operating in 11 states and expects to expand to several more by year’s end. The startup says it tripled membership in 2020 and plans to use new funding to grow the team and enter new geographies. Sidecar positions its product to bring price transparency and consumer choice to healthcare transactions and to push down average prices as membership scales. The company is based in Los Angeles and has raised about $40 million to date. Sidecar Health sells transparent, personalized insurance plans that give members a payment card to pay providers directly and an app to compare local provider prices. Members can see how much providers in their area charge, shop for care, and are not constrained to provider networks. The company says its policies offer robust coverage at fixed, published amounts so members know what will be paid for any health service. Sidecar touts savings of up to 40% versus traditional major medical plans. Its plans are underwritten and backed by global insurers rated A by AM Best, which the company says provides financial strength. Sidecar launched in Texas and plans to expand nationally, adding several additional states over the next 12 months.

Total raised

$328M

Funding rounds

4

Latest round

Series D

Latest activity

Jun 2024