Sidecar Health

American health insurance technology company

Sidecar Health, Inc.

Company type| Private
Industry| Health insurance
Founded| 2018
Founders| Patrick Quigley and Veronica Osetinsky
Headquarters| El Segundo, California

Key people

| Patrick Quigley (CEO)
Veronica Osetinsky (COO)
Stuart Battersby (CFO)
Website| sidecarhealth.com

Sidecar Health is an American health insurance company headquartered in El Segundo, California. The company offers major medical plans for midsize and large companies based in Ohio, Georgia and Florida with members across 44 states.[1]

## History

[edit]

Sidecar Health was founded in El Segundo, California in 2018 by Patrick Quigley and Veronica Osetinsky.[2][3] The pair were previously executives at Katch (formerly Vantage Media), an online advertising technology company and customer acquisition marketplace for insurers.[2][4]

The company launched its first insurance product in 2019 in Texas,[2][5] as the state's large uninsured population offered a sizable potential customer base.[6][5] By the end of the year, Sidecar Health had expanded to Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, and North Carolina.[7][8][9]

Sidecar Health initially raised $18 million in funding through venture capital firms GreatPoint Ventures and Morpheus Ventures.[6][10] In July 2020, it raised $20 million in a new round of funding that included Comcast Ventures, Kauffman Fellows, and 23andMe CEO Anne Wojcicki.[11] It closed its Series C funding round in January 2021, led by Drive Capital, at $125 million—bringing it to a $1 billion valuation, often referred to as unicorn status.[12][3] Funding supported staffing and further expansion, along with investment in new insurance products.[13] In 2024,Sidecar Health raised $165 million in an oversubscribed Series D fundraise led by Koch Disruptive Technologies. Other investors included Cathay Innovation, GreatPoint Ventures, Morpheus, Drive Capital, Duke University, BOND, and Menlo Ventures.[14]

As of 2022, the company evolved to exclusively offer comprehensive major medical health plans for employer groups with 51 or more employees domiciled in Florida, Georgia, and Ohio.[1]

## Services

[edit]

Sidecar Health offers employer-sponsored major medical plans.[1] All Sidecar Health insurance products are built on users paying providers for care directly at the point of service.[2][12][3] The website and mobile app provides members their benefit amounts, and offers local market data including prices and reviews among local providers.[13] The company provides members with a Sidecar Health VISA debit card to pay for services.[2][12] Such cash payments are often lower than negotiated rates with insurance companies according to academic studies.[15][12][13] Upon payment, the company pays its share as determined by its reimbursement schedule, and any remaining amount is charged to the user's account. If a member spends less than the benefit amount, Sidecar Health shares the savings with them in the form of cash back.

In 2022, Sidecar Health launched Affordable Care Act plans in the state of Ohio,[16] and a fully-insured employer-sponsored product in Ohio.[17] In addition, it continues to market its Access Plan, which is an excepted benefit plan under the ACA[18] in 18 states and is underwritten by partner insurers. A Brookings Institution report suggested that excepted benefits products like its Access Plan may undermine risk pooling.[19]

## References

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1. ^ a b c Landi, Heather (2024-06-26). "Insurtech Sidecar Health picks up $165M series D". www.fiercehealthcare.com. Retrieved 2024-12-17.
2. ^ a b c d e Billington, Francesca (August 7, 2020). "SideCar Raises $20M for Its New Approach to Healthcare". dot.LA. Archived from the original on July 27, 2021. Retrieved July 20, 2021.
3. ^ a b c Chatenay, Victor (January 28, 2021). "Insurtech Sidecar Health scores megaround to become a unicorn". Insider. Axel Springer SE. Archived from the original on August 4, 2021. Retrieved July 20, 2021.
4. ^ "Katch Sells Its Healthplans.com Business". Business Wire. 2017-10-17. Archived from the original on 2021-09-15. Retrieved 2021-09-15.
5. ^ a b Mathews, Chris (October 31, 2019). "Lured by large uninsured population, California health insurance co. launches in Texas". Houston Business Journal. American City Business Journals. Retrieved July 20, 2021.
6. ^ a b Ellingson, Annlee (August 9, 2019). "This week in L.A. funding news: Snap ups debt financing to $1.1B... Dogdrop opens". L.A. Biz. American City Business Journals. Archived from the original on August 4, 2021. Retrieved July 20, 2021.
7. ^ Hurtibise, Ron (November 9, 2019). "Cheaper than Obamacare? Budget-priced plans can cost far more if you get sick". South Florida Sun-Sentinel. Tribune Publishing. Archived from the original on June 29, 2021. Retrieved July 20, 2021.
8. ^ Cavagnaro, Hank (September 28, 2019). "New company aims to help people with cheaper insurance". KVUE. KVUE-TV. Archived from the original on August 4, 2021. Retrieved July 20, 2021.
9. ^ "Sidecar Health makes a play for North Carolina". International Travel & Health Insurance Journal. Voyageur Publishing & Events. December 13, 2019. Archived from the original on August 4, 2021. Retrieved July 20, 2021.
10. ^ "Sidecar Health secures $18m in funding; forays into Texas market". Life Insurance International. Verdict Media. August 7, 2019. Archived from the original on July 27, 2021. Retrieved July 20, 2021.
11. ^ Ellingson, Annlee (July 23, 2020). "Sidecar Health raises $20 million to help users shop for health services". L.A. Biz. American City Business Journals. Archived from the original on November 29, 2021. Retrieved July 20, 2021.
12. ^ a b c d Shieber, Jonathan (January 26, 2021). "LA-based Sidecar Health's low-cost, cash-pay health insurance service is now valued at $1 billion". TechCrunch. Verizon Media. Archived from the original on July 31, 2021. Retrieved July 20, 2021.
13. ^ a b c Chen, I-Chun (January 26, 2021). "Sidecar Health raises $125M to scale 'cash price' insurance model". L.A. Biz. American City Business Journals. Archived from the original on February 26, 2021. Retrieved July 20, 2021.
14. ^ "Sidecar Health scores $165M for employer health insurance plans". MobiHealthNews. 2024-06-27. Retrieved 2024-12-17.
15. ^ "The Transformative Potential for Price Transparency in Healthcare: Benefits for Consumers and Providers". HMPI. 2019-12-09. Archived from the original on 2022-03-20. Retrieved 2022-05-17.
16. ^ "Explore ACA Plans". Sidecar Health. Archived from the original on 2021-12-15. Retrieved 2021-12-15.
17. ^ Minemyer, Paige (2022-04-11). "Insurtech unicorn Sidecar Health launches new group employer plan in Ohio". Fierce Healthcare. Archived from the original on 2022-05-21. Retrieved 2022-05-17.
18. ^ "Implementing Health Reform: Excepted Benefits Final Rule | Health Affairs Forefront". www.healthaffairs.org. 2014. doi:10.1377/forefront.20140929.041684. Archived from the original on 2024-07-06. Retrieved 2022-05-17.
19. ^ Young, Christine Linke; Hannick, Kathleen (2020-08-04). Fixed indemnity health coverage is a problematic form of "junk insurance" (Report). Brookings Institution. Archived from the original on 2021-09-15. Retrieved 2021-09-15.