The Sidecar Health Blog

Living with chronic liver disease can be a long and exhausting journey — filled with countless appointments, medications, and lifestyle changes to keep symptoms under control. But when the disease progresses to the point where a liver transplant becomes the only option, patients face another harsh reality: the financial cost of survival.

Bringing a baby into the world should be joyful. But when something unexpected happens — a premature delivery, a medical complication, or a stay in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) — families often face a second wave of shock: the bill.

When people hear the term “fixed indemnity health plan,” they often think of limited-benefit coverage — plans that pay small, preset amounts for medical services and rarely cover the full cost of care. These plans are considered supplemental insurance, not comprehensive coverage. Importantly, fixed indemnity plans are not ACA-compliant, meaning they don’t meet the standards for major medical insurance set by the Affordable Care Act.

A bright and resilient young girl lives with Williams Syndrome — a rare genetic condition that affects multiple systems of the body, including the heart. Since infancy, she has faced complex congenital heart disease requiring multiple procedures. When her condition progressed, her doctors determined she needed a pulmonary artery reconstruction — an extremely rare surgery.

For decades, insurance networks promised to control healthcare costs. In reality, they’ve delivered restrictions, unpredictable pricing, and confusion for both employers and members. Our new white paper, The Rise and Fall of Insurance Networks, exposes why the “better network” myth persists — and how hidden price volatility undermines value.

When Brandon, a Sidecar Health member, set off on a tuk-tuk journey through Sri Lanka, he expected adventure, not emergency surgery. But after a brake failure sent his three-wheeled vehicle flipping into a ravine, he found himself navigating the Sri Lankan hospital system to reattach part of his ear and treat wounds to his head and shoulder. The result? He paid nothing out of pocket and walked away with $6,000 in earnings.

When a Sidecar Health member walked into an Ohio hospital for a routine delivery, she didn’t expect an emergency C-section, or a NICU stay for her newborn. But that’s what happened. And six days and more than $70,000 in charges later, she walked out owing only her $2,500 deductible.

In today’s workplace, mental health isn’t optional — it’s critical to your business. But while employers pour money into costly point solutions to make up for health plan gaps, Sidecar Health solves the problem at its source.

Organizations today face an uphill battle in retaining top talent. Recent data shows that 51% of U.S. employees are actively seeking new job opportunities, the highest rate since 2015. Additionally, employee engagement has declined, with only 31% of employees engaged in 2024, matching the lowest level in a decade. While competitive salaries and career development opportunities remain critical, they’re no longer sufficient. Employees now expect benefits that are flexible, transparent, and tailored to each person’s unique needs. This shift has made HR’s role more complex than ever before.