SAN FRANCISCO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--A group of the world’s largest businesses supporting independent workers and prominent athletes have announced a joint initiative with Get America Covered, a nationwide campaign to encourage Americans to enroll in health coverage through the Affordable Care Act (ACA), and Stride, the leading portable benefits platform for independent workers, to raise awareness of the upcoming Open Enrollment Period and the affordability of high-quality, comprehensive health insurance under the ACA.
The Open Enrollment Period, which started November 1 and ends December 15, is the only time of year individuals can enroll in health insurance for next year unless they have a qualifying event that lets them enroll outside of that window. Already this year, an estimated 27 million Americans have lost health insurance due to pandemic-related job loss. Now, with uncertain economic conditions, and more, it’s more important than ever to ensure Americans have the resources they need to sign up for health insurance during the Open Enrollment Period.
“Our partnership with Stride is important in helping our joint mission of getting more Americans the health insurance coverage they need to stay safe and healthy in 2021,” said Joshua Peck, co-founder of Get America Covered. “This year, three-quarters of HealthCare.gov customers can find a plan for less than $50 a month. It’s now up to us to help make more Americans aware of just how affordable health insurance can be, and when they need to get enrolled. We’re excited to have others join us in this cause.”
Premiums are stable or even decreasing in many states, the number of insurers offering plans is up, and deductibles are down for the majority of customers. Most people using Stride find health insurance costing them less than $75 per month, and 25% find plans for less than $10 per month.
“Historically, the main reasons for the growing number of uninsured Americans is twofold: most don’t know about the deadline for enrolling, and even fewer are aware of how affordable health insurance is right now,” said Noah Lang, CEO of Stride. “The good news is that quality health insurance is far more affordable than most people think, but the big challenge is raising awareness of that fact. We’re so excited to be working with GetAmericaCovered.org to help get more Americans covered.”
As part of the coalition, Stride, an official technology partner of HealthCare.gov, will provide co-branded health insurance comparison and enrollment portals for additional organizations that join the initiative, along with a package of communication tools and assets those companies can use to help raise awareness of the enrollment deadlines and the affordability of health insurance. These portals will provide individuals with access to all of the qualified health insurance plans on the Affordable Care Act marketplaces, tools to help them compare different plans, assistance with determining their eligibility for financial assistance, and year-round phone and email customer support.
“We want to help anyone who drives with Uber easily find affordable health for themselves and their families. That's why we’re so excited to be taking our long-standing partnership with Stride to a new level with GetAmericaCovered.org,” said Akhil Gupta, Senior Manager for Driver Central Operations at Uber.
“DoorDash is committed to helping Dashers access the resources they need and we're proud to support this initiative,” said Max Rettig, Global Head of Public Policy, DoorDash. "Working with Get America Covered and Stride makes it easy to increase awareness of coverage options before the upcoming enrollment deadline."
The organizations and celebrities participating in the initiative have all pledged to do everything possible to help at least one-third of their non-benefited audiences get enrolled in health insurance this year.
"As part of our longstanding advocacy to efforts to ensure workers have access to the types of benefits and safety net frameworks they want and need, we’re proud to be celebrate another open-enrollment season to help Americans, and members of our fleet, unlock affordable health insurance plans particularly amidst a pandemic,” said Claire Sands, Director of Community Communications & Engagement at Postmates. “Working with Get America Covered and Stride provides an opportunity to make it as easy as possible for our drivers to get affordable coverage before the upcoming enrollment deadline, on top of additional health and wellness benefits Postmates offers."
Professional rock climber Alex Honnold, the subject of the award-winning film “Free Solo,” and professional long-distance runner and podcast host Rich Roll are also joining the initiative, where they’ll be encouraging their fans and followers to help spread the word. Their followers can find and enroll in health insurance on unique co-branded health portals powered by Stride, and they can also access tools and materials to help spread the word as well.
“It’s crazy that so many Americans have been left without insurance in the midst of a pandemic,” said Alex Honnold. “But quality insurance through the Affordable Care Act is more attainable than most people know. I’m pleased to be partnering with Stride Health and Get America Covered to help more Americans get covered.”
"It’s never been more important for people to have health insurance,” said Rich Roll. “That’s why I’m so proud to be joining Stride and Get America Covered to make sure everyone knows about the deadlines and the affordability of Affordable Care Act health insurance.”
How to Get Involved
Organizations that wish to join the initiative, and pledge to get at least 50 people enrolled during the Open Enrollment Period, can visit stridebenefits.com/gac to request their own co-branded portal.
About Stride
Stride provides the first portable benefits platform designed specifically for independent workers, helping them save time and money on insurance, taxes and hundreds of thousands of products and services. Since launching in 2014, Stride has helped over 1.5 million workers save over $1 billion. Stride partners with the world’s leading work platforms and employers of non-benefited workers including Uber, Postmates, DoorDash, GrubHub, Rover, Care.com, TaskRabbit, Keller Williams so they can provide their workers with access to a full marketplace of health and wealth benefits and perks. The company is backed by Venrock, New Enterprise Associates, and F-Prime Capital Partners. For more information, visit https://www.stridehealth.com.
About GetAmericaCovered.org
A nationwide campaign, Get America Covered believes it is critical to make sure people get the facts they need to get covered and stay covered. The campaign will again amplify information to inform those looking to enroll in health coverage, as well as assist organizations and individuals who are helping people sign-up for coverage—especially in states that rely solely on HealthCare.gov for enrollment.
