JAUNTIN’ (GIA 2018)
JAUNTIN’ Founder, Rain Takahashi
JAUNTIN’ Partners with BasiCare Plus to Provide Health Benefits to Underserved Workers in the U.S.
By: Rain Takahashi, (GIA 2018)
JAUNTIN' has partnered with BasiCare Plus to provide embedded health benefits to part-time, gig, rural, undocumented and other underserved workers in the U.S. to help achieve health equity for everyone.
Health equity is becoming more prominent in the national dialogue. Health equity is considered to be achieved when everyone has the opportunity to reach their full health potential, regardless of their social, economic, demographic, geographic, or environmental circumstances, and accessibility to health insurance and benefits plays a key role.
Unfortunately, there is a lot of work to be done. There are over 25 million Americans, including children, who are uninsured with this number set to rise over the next few years. Affordability continues to be one of the biggest factors that is preventing people from securing coverage; and part-time, gig, rural, and other underserved workers are the most likely to be left behind.
In order to get a step closer to "health equity" what should be prioritized?
1. Access to a primary care provider
Primary care providers are critical for any family's health strategy, yet 100 million Americans don't have one. This means there can be delays in identifying and treating conditions or getting necessary referrals. These delays can be the difference between "we caught it in time," and "we're sorry, it's too late."
2. Access to care wherever you live
Rural Americans are disproportionately affected by limited health services and drug options primarily due to the lack of infrastructure or "in network" facilities and pharmacies. This too, can delay identifying and treating conditions and prolong illnesses that would have otherwise been treated quickly and effectively.
3. Eliminate "in-network" pharmacies
Americans shouldn't have to travel hundreds of extra miles each year to fill a prescription. This adds both time and cost constraints on families, especially those in underserved communities.
4. 24/7 access
Unfortunately, underserved workers lose billions in wages each year due to the lack of "protected time" that can normally be allocated towards doctor visits and caregiving needs. This means they need more flexible scheduling options from health service providers, which would help minimize worker downtime, reducing stress on both the worker and employer.
So where does JAUNTIN' and BasiCare Plus come in?
JAUNTIN' and BasiCare Plus put together a health benefit package tailored to the above priorities. Anybody can sign up at any time with no contracts and guaranteed acceptance. It provides the entire family with unlimited primary care provider access, over 700+ drugs, telemed access, and more with no copay for $60/month (or less if part of a group/association). Smaller plans starting at $10/month are also available with a smaller Rx list.
Benefits:
1. Unlimited virtual primary care provider
Easy access to a virtual primary care provider for the entire family. No more spending hours going to/from and waiting for your doctor, only to be exposed to other germs and illnesses, not to mention the lost wages from being away from work.
2. Great for rural and seasonal workers
Access to a doctor without proximity limitations and prescriptions can be filled at any pharmacy. It's now possible to see a doctor, fill a prescription and be back to work all within an hour.
3. No more "in-network" pharmacies
Fill any included drug at any pharmacy in the U.S. This is especially beneficial for workers who travel a lot like truck drivers, disaster/FEMA-type workers, and construction workers.
4. Work schedules are no longer a barrier
Urgent care telemedicine doctors are accessible 24/7, allowing anybody to access doctors and drugs on their schedule, not the doctor's schedule.
Use cases:
Below are some examples of how the plan is already being used:
1. A midwest shelter provides these plans to their clients as an additional support mechanism
2. A non-urgent medical transportation company provides these benefits to its 1099s as a retention tool
3. Brokers are coupling this plan with high deductible health plans to help offset costs for their clients (and the added commission opportunity is a nice bonus)
4. Farmers are providing it to their seasonal workers to help reduce downtime and increase morale
5. Grubhub piloted it as part of their driver onboarding program
6. Third-party platforms/websites can include the plan as an incentive similar to how some credit cards include insurance or warranty coverage
Overall benefits:
1. Insurers and brokers can offload and reduce costs related to primary care, telemedicine and Rx claims for a flat monthly cost
2. $0 copays means members start saving right away, especially if they are already prescribed or using one of the included drugs
3. Businesses that rely on part-time, contract and other underserved workers can now provide health benefits to those employees with an immediate impact on employee retention and morale.
4. A great source of perpetual income for brokers/distributors
Want to try the plan for free for a month? Ask GIA for an intro to Rain Takahashi to get a promo code (no credit card required).
Into the future:
Underserved workers now have an option that can have a real impact on their family's health. As the membership pool grows, JAUNTIN' and BasiCare Plus already have plans to add MEC features. Separately, they are always looking to expand their offerings with other features like hospital, catastrophic, lab testing, dental and vision. Partnership opportunities and proposals are always welcome.
About JAUNTIN'
JAUNTIN' is an embedded insurance platform as a service provider that enables insurers to embed insurance into third-party websites and products. Besides the health benefit space, JAUNTIN' has had success in the commercial and event insurance industries.
Connect with founder, Rain Takahashi:
rain@jauntin.com; LinkedIn
