The Disruptors, Part 1: DTC Insurance

Distribution — arguably the most important driver of failure or success in the fast-growing digital health domain — was historically a very steep hill to climb. Some of that was simply due to the overall immaturity of the market and its inability (or resistance) to absorb and pay for novel, technology-based products that didn’t slot easily into exi... See more

One way startups are making a difference is by giving traditional insurers super powers by digitizing their internal and external experience, module by module. Startups like wefox help insurers with distribution (reaching more, and better segmented, target audiences). Others, like Instanda, help with pricing and underwriting (through the addition o... See more

Insurance companies move too slowly to incorporate healthcare service innovations....Lower cost catastrophic insurance + Primary Care 3.0 will be the most cost-effective way to solve health problems.

The argument is that if providers start going out of business or consolidating, it leaves insurers with fewer suppliers of care to their members, which increases supplier power. The authors propose that each insurer scales up payments to primary care providers, and they astutely recommend policies that minimize the risk of free ridership, which cou... See more