Sidecar Health offers an alternative to healthcare coverage if you missed the Special Enrollment Period

The following post was written and/or published as a collaboration between Benzinga’s in-house sponsored content team and a financial partner of Benzinga.

The 2021 Special Enrollment Period, or SEP, for Marketplace healthcare coverage ended  yesterday, August 15th, 2021. The SEP was offered to Americans in response to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, intended to assist people who had lost their jobs or were otherwise uninsured to get coverage. A report released in June by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) revealed that 2 million people had signed up for coverage during the SEP, whether through the federal Marketplace or their home states’ Marketplace, while 81 million getting coverage from Medicaid and other federal programs.

What to do if you missed the SEP

If you missed the extended special enrollment period, or couldn’t find a plan that suited your needs at a comfortable price, you still have options to protect you and your family from expensive healthcare costs. Sidecar Health, an LA-based startup valued at $1 billion and set to scale after raising $125 million in C Series funding earlier this year, gives you control over your healthcare coverage with their “Cash Price” insurance model.

Sidecar Health has no enrollment period limitations on their coverage, meaning you can sign up at any time, even when the federal and state Marketplaces are closed to normal enrollment. If you lose coverage or realize your Marketplace insurance policy isn’t right for you, there’s no jumping through bureaucratic hoops to get a new plan from Sidecar Health.

Sidecar Health: solving the trillion dollar question

Sidecar Health works to solve many of the issues that plague American healthcare today. Despite efforts over the last decade to move towards a model that provides affordable, robust coverage to the bulk of the American populace, many are still priced out of adequate healthcare. This is partly due to the amount spent on administrative costs and the higher rates set by insurance companies acting as go-betweens.

By cutting out the middleman and putting the purchasing power back into the hands of consumers, Sidecar Health provides a direct-to-provider payment model. You’ll use your Sidecar Health VISA Benefit Card at the time of service. This means no surprise medical bills showing up in the mailbox (or even worse, as an unpaid debt on your credit report.) It also means the potential for massive discounts -- the numbers are in, and data shows that providers who get paid up front often offer steep discounts. This is where that “Cash Value” insurance model really shines.

Design your own insurance plan

Shopping for insurance may not be your idea of retail therapy to begin with, but scrolling through pages of insurance offerings for hours only to realize there’s not really a solid plan option that fits both your healthcare needs and your budget makes it downright unpleasant. Or maybe you find THE perfect plan -- only to realize that your doctor doesn’t work with that insurance provider.

Sidecar Health takes care of that, too. You get to design your own plan, only paying for what you need. If you’re one of those people who never meets your yearly deductible and feels like the monthly premium you’re paying is going to waste, choose a Sidecar Health plan with no deductible. If you want to know exactly what is covered before you even make an appointment, Sidecar Health makes it easy to look up a healthcare service and see exactly how much it costs. Fees are fixed, and there are no administrative middlemen involved to negotiate higher rates.

Below is an at-a-glance overview of some of the many features offered by Sidecar Health.

Sidecar Health Features [List]: 

• No in-network requirements -- see any doctor or healthcare provider you want
• Pay on the spot and get discounts using your Sidecar Health VISA Benefit Card
• Full transparency -- you know exactly what is covered by your health plan before you step foot in your doctor’s office
• Personalized, custom-built coverage -- only pay for the coverage you want and need  
• Save up to 40% -- data shows that paying up front and cutting out the middleman is proven to save patients money 
• No enrollment period -- can enroll at any time throughout the year without having to cut through red tape to get coverage in off-season times
• Option to select a no deductible plan 
• “Cash Price” insurance with fixed fees
• 3 plan options: Budget, Standard or Premium

Next steps: how to buy Sidecar Health coverage 

If you missed the Special Enrollment Period but still need coverage in 2021, visit Sidecar Health to get a quote on one of 3 plan options. From there, design your coverage specifically for your needs. Want a rate lock for the next 3 years? That’s an option. Don’t take any prescription drugs? Remove prescription drug coverage from your plan. 

From there, use your personalized, affordable, transparent and simple coverage from Sidecar Health to protect your health -- and your wallet.

Looking for more healthcare options? Get a free quote here.

See also: WHAT IS COVERED BY HEALTH INSURANCE?

The preceding post was written and/or published as a collaboration between Benzinga’s in-house sponsored content team and a financial partner of Benzinga. Although the piece is not and should not be construed as editorial content, the sponsored content team works to ensure that any and all information contained within is true and accurate to the best of their knowledge and research. This content is for informational purposes only and not intended to be investing advice.