Oscar Health will partner with the Cleveland Clinic to offer individual coverage in Ohio on the public exchange under the Affordable Care Act.
The move by the New York-based startup, which offers individual coverage on ACA exchanges in New York, Texas and California, comes as larger players like Anthem, UnitedHealth Group and Aetna scale back their Obamacare business and President Donald Trump claims the market is imploding.
Co- Founder and CEO of Oscar Health Mario Schlosser speaks onstage during TechCrunch Disrupt NY 2017 at Pier 36 on May 15, 2017 in New York City. (Photo by Noam Galai/Getty Images for TechCrunch)
But the Oscar partnership with Cleveland Clinic shows narrow networks, which limit choices of doctors and hospitals are key to the future success of Obamacare as well as the individual market in general. A study last year by the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association said more than half of plans on the public exchanges offer narrow networks or exclusive provider arrangements.
“This is a rare opportunity to work with Cleveland Clinic to deliver the simpler, better, and affordable health care experience that consumers want,” Mario Schlosser, Oscar Health’s CEO said.
Schlosser founded Oscar with Josh Kushner, the brother of President Trump’s son-in-law, Jared.
“Oscar was founded to help restore the focus of our health care system on the needs of the consumers,” Schlosser said. “By linking Oscar’s member engagement platform to a world-renowned, physician-led health system like the Cleveland Clinic, we can align incentives and focus on the things that matter most: keeping members healthy.”
Health insurers see a narrow network plan that limits choices as allowing insurers to more closely monitor quality and make sure patients are getting the right care, in the right place and at the right time.
Article source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/brucejapsen/2017/06/15/oscar-health-partners-with-cleveland-clinic-on-obamacare-exchange/