The changing nature of work means that new innovations are necessary to ensure that gig workers have access to necessary benefits and coverage options.
In response to this market need, San Francisco-based Stride Health has launched a platform to provide benefits for the millions of independent contractors who otherwise may not be able to receive them.
Stride Health was initially founded in 2013 to help consumers find what health plan they should choose by taking into account factors including demographic information, existing conditions, preferences, income and subsidies members can use to defray costs, to give people more personalized options for their health coverage.
Through Stride’s enhanced direct enrollment CMS integration users can choose benefits and apply for and receive subsidies directly from the company’s platform. Stride offers health plans from more than 200 insurance companies including Oscar Health, Anthem and Kaiser Permanente.
The startup’s Stride Benefits Platform allows companies like DoorDash, Postmates and Instacart to bolster the company’s health recommendation service with ancillary benefits like dental vision and life insurance, as well as mileage and expense tracking and prescription discounts.
“With The Stride Benefits Platform, we’re helping our community of more than 700,000 Dashers spend more time achieving their financial goals by delivering great service to customers and less time worrying about expenses and access to benefits,” DoorDash Head of Policy Max Rettig said in a statement.
“With today’s announcement, alongside our recent roll out of a free, no-opt-in-required Occupational Accident Insurance policy, we are looking forward to offering unprecedented freedom and flexibility to enable everyone from students to teachers to retirees to achieve their goals on their own terms, while enhancing their economic security.”
Workers at sponsoring companies can access the benefits at no charge. Others will be able to access the benefits independently for a small fee.
Through the Stride mobile app, workers have the ability to access these range of offerings and additional benefits like telehealth visits and discounts for services ranging from auto repair to phone service to movies to travel.
Stride’s benefits platform also includes financial tools like health savings and no-fee checking and savings accounts.
The company touts its support team as a key part of their offering which can help users through the process of signing up for coverage and answer questions related to their benefits.
“Here at Stride, we’re focused on one thing: creating economic security for everyone who works for themselves,” Stride CEO Noah Lang said in a statement.
“The Stride Benefits Platform is a massive step forward in realizing that vision, and we couldn’t be more proud to be working with the world’s largest platforms for independent workers and helping those workers keep more of their earnings.”
Photo: shylendrahoode, Getty Images
