AUSTIN, Texas– Curative, a leading healthcare delivery company, today announced a new health plan with $0 copays and $0 deductibles for in-network care, encouraging proactive engagement by eliminating financial barriers to care. The only requirement to qualify is to complete a preventative health Baseline Visit, so that, members continue to have $0 deductibles, $0 copays, and $0 out-of-pocket costs for all in-network care including many brand-name, specialty, and generic medications. Approved by the Texas Department of Insurance, Curative’s plan will first be offered in Travis and Williamson counties in the Austin area, and then throughout the state over the coming year.
“We’re on a mission to drastically remake the United States’ healthcare system. In a post-pandemic world, we are launching a health plan that delivers true cost transparency, breaks down unnecessary barriers to care and offers exceptional customer service,” said Fred Turner, co-founder and CEO of Curative. “When it comes to traditional health insurance, somehow common sense suddenly goes out the window. If haircuts came with unexpected bills three weeks later, a restaurant didn’t know their own prices, or you paid per episode for Netflix on top of your monthly subscription, you wouldn’t accept it. So why accept it when it comes to something as important as your health? The Curative Insurance Company helps people focus on achieving good health rather than what they will have to pay for each visit. The only way to achieve true cost transparency is for all in-network services to be covered at $0 cost, so members actually know where they stand and can get the care they need without surprise bills or medical debt.”
The Baseline Visit combines a preventative health assessment with a true health plan onboarding to not only identify opportunities for preventative care to avoid disease before it arises, but also improve members’ health literacy and understanding of how to use their plan’s benefits. During the Baseline Visit, members will be assigned a Health Navigator who will stay with them through their entire health journey, helping them understand their goals and specific needs, navigate the complex healthcare system, and provide support with scheduling an appointment or getting a prescription delivered to their home.
By completing the Baseline Visit within 120 days, Curative members will continue to only pay one competitive monthly premium for free access to all in-network healthcare services, including primary care and specialty care, office and hospital visits, telemedicine, prescribed pharmaceuticals, wellness, preventative care and mental and behavioral health care through a high-quality, PPO network. The comprehensive Curative network includes major providers such as the Austin Regional Clinic (ARC), Austin Diagnostic Clinic (ADC), all of St. David’s facilities, among many others, as well as 24/7/365 access to a local physician in under 10 minutes via telemedicine.
In addition to a high-quality network of providers, Curative plan members will receive exclusive access to Curative Commons, a one-stop shop for health and wellness resources. Opening in 2023, Curative Commons, located at 900 Congress Ave. in downtown Austin, will feature a first-class fitness center with a variety of classes, nutritional counseling, healthy meals and snacks, and community event space.
“Out-of-pocket costs have increased dramatically over the last 20 years by almost 60%1. While the idea of shifting responsibility to patients so they can make cost-benefit decisions is nice, this is an outdated concept that has been proven not to work. Consumers do not price shop or make rational optimizations because it’s impossible to know what services will cost; in fact, many providers don’t even know the pricing,” said Turner.
“As a result, essential and preventative care is often deferred or skipped altogether. While this drives a short-term cost saving, it can lead to a significant increase in long-term costs. Patients who could have stayed healthy now progress needlessly to chronic conditions, expensive ER visits, and specialty drugs that could have been prevented by investing early in these patients’ health. Curative drives this early engagement by removing any financial barriers to care, and in the complex world of healthcare, the only way to make patients feel truly comfortable accessing the care they need is to guarantee $0 out-of-pocket cost for all in-network care,” added Turner.
The Curative plan will be available to employers with 51 or more employees in the Austin metro area (first in Travis and Williamson counties). Curative will continue to announce new launch cities in other areas of Texas as part of its strategic phased approach, with additional states coming after that.
“Austin Regional Clinic (ARC) is excited to collaborate with Curative and its innovative approach to health insurance,” said Anas Daghestani, MD, president and CEO of the Austin Regional Clinic. “Providing access to high-quality, connected care has always been part of ARC’s commitment to our patients and communities, with a focus on keeping our patients healthy and on helping them achieve their goals. Curative’s model is designed to do just that, and we look forward to working together to continue to drive healthcare innovation in Central Texas starting in Austin.”
Since 2020, Curative has been best known for being a national leader in COVID-19 testing, having provided more than 35 million tests across thousands of testing sites in 40+ states, including over 150 sites in Texas. In response to the fluid nature of the pandemic, the company rapidly evolved to innovate, solve health care challenges, and deliver critical resources that supported community health needs. Curative’s new health plan represents its next phase of growth and is the primary focus of the company following its successes in addressing other deficiencies in the healthcare system.
“Curative’s entrance into health insurance is an important step in meeting the healthcare needs of Austin’s growing population,” said Bethany Leffingwell, senior vice president of strategic communications & programming at the Austin Chamber of Commerce. “Austin embraces positive change and those who champion it. And for that reason, we think Curative and Austin will be a perfect match.”
