Life insurance company Guardian teams up with Uber Health
Guardian’s members with disabilities will receive an Uber voucher for medical appointments.
The Guardian Life Insurance Company of America has joined forces with Uber Health to allow Guardian Group Benefits members with an approved long-term disability claim to receive an Uber voucher for rides to medical appointments or rehabilitation services.
The aim is to help eliminate barriers to care and support member recovery and well-being.
The voucher, available in the Uber app, will be open to patients with new long-term disability claims starting in mid-January.
The companies said they will gradually expand the collaboration to include other Guardian members, including short-term disability claimants, as well as support the unique needs facing caregivers.
“When our members are dealing with an injury or illness that prevents them from working, their focus should be on getting well,” Michael Prestileo, chief commercial officer for Guardian, said in a statement.
“Guardian’s aim is to help remove barriers to recovery. Recognizing that there is a strong connection between mental wellness and physical health, our collaboration with Uber Health will help reduce stress and anxiety around transportation and accessing care, and allow members to focus on what matters most, their well-being.”
Zachary Clark, global head of Uber Health, noted that millions of people with long-term disabilities require access to high-quality chronic care to speed up recovery and return to their normal routines.
“By working with Uber Health and providing members with an Uber voucher that can be used for transportation to essential care appointments, Guardian can maximize its benefit offerings to reduce barriers to care, improve health outcomes and help people lead healthier, more fulfilling lives,” Clark said in a statement.
THE LARGER TREND
Clark shared his insights with MobiHealthNews on AI’s place in healthcare for the 2024 year in review series.
Clark said AI will be most impactful by helping to make accessing healthcare and benefits easier and more intuitive. He said that key processes such as appointment scheduling and personalizing treatment plans will become significantly streamlined and enhanced.
Last year, Uber Health partnered with NationsBenefits that allowed NationsBenefits members to use their flex cards for rides on Uber and same-day delivery of groceries on Uber Eats.
The flex card is a single debit card that allows members to pay for eligible expenses with their benefit allowance, as an alternative to traditional member reward programs.
The alliance permits members to look at their flex card balance directly in the Uber app. In addition, they can add their personal payment method to the app for simple checkout with both covered and personal items in the same shopping cart.
Uber Health also introduced Uber Caregiver, an offering that allows users to add a caregiver to their Uber profile to ask for rides and deliveries, track them in real time and pay using the caregiver’s health benefits. The service provides caregivers with insights into the care recipients’ benefits, including the balance of the monthly grocery benefit or remaining rides that are covered.
