Stride Health's Enrollment Platform powers CMS "Gig Workers' Week of Action" with DoorDash, Postmates, Uber, Wonolo and more

Twice as many gig workers getting covered twice as fast as last year thanks to the American Rescue Plan

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May 26, 2021, 16:30 ET

SAN FRANCISCO, May 26, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Stride Health, the leading Portable Benefits platform for independent contractors, announced its participation in the "Gig Workers' Week of Action" initiative by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to help Americans gain access to affordable coverage under the Affordable Care Act. The company has been at the forefront of helping gig economy workers get healthcare at a critical time.

In the middle of the pandemic, independent contractors in the U.S. were three times more likely to go uninsured as their counterparts. Fortunately, halfway through this 2021 Special Enrollment Period, Stride has already helped to enroll twice as many Americans working in the gig economy as in the entire 10-month Special Enrollment Period last year.

"Quality health insurance is more affordable and accessible than ever before, with 63% of uninsured Americans now eligible for financial assistance. Yet millions of Americans are still unaware of it," said Noah Lang, Co-Founder and CEO of Stride. "We're honored to be working with these partners to help solve that awareness gap, help workers access the resources available to them, and ultimately get more Americans covered."

As part of CMS' "Gig Workers' Week of Action" on May 26, Stride Health is assisting by driving enrollment through its Enhanced Direct Enrollment partnership with Healthcare.gov. In addition, its partners Uber, DoorDash, Postmates, StyleSeat, Wonolo and Delivery Drivers Inc. have committed to ensuring gig worker access to these significantly reduced health insurance costs as a part of "Gig Workers' Week of Action".

Together, these organizations are doubling down again this week to drive awareness of new premium tax credits after contributing to getting 1 million Americans enrolled in ACA coverage since President Biden opened a unique Special Enrollment Period (SEP) on February 15th. That Special Enrollment Period has now been extended until August 15th.

"We are pleased to continue partnering with Stride to provide healthcare solutions for those who earn on the Uber platform," said Danielle Burr, Head of Federal Affairs at Uber. "We encourage drivers and couriers to take the opportunity this week to sign up for a health plan that suits their unique needs."

The Gig Workers' Week of Action aims to help independent contractors enroll in and understand their opportunities to get access to affordable coverage, including new policies that can help reduce the financial burden of healthcare.

The American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (ARPA) increased the tax credits available to individuals and created a unique Special Enrollment Period that allows most Americans to enroll in coverage immediately. With these new tax credits, 4 out of 5 individuals can get a plan for less than $10 a month and the median deductible has dropped 90% since April 1st, to $50.

With Stride's partnership with the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), independent contractors can access these new ARPA tax credits and complete enrollment entirely within Stride's experience. This includes the 1 in 4 current enrollees who are able to "upgrade" to a higher plan category that offers better out of pocket costs at the same or lower premium.

Gig workers and any other individuals who'd like to learn more about their enrollment options can visit www.stridehealth.com to compare plans and enroll in less than 10 minutes. For companies who are looking to offer Portable Benefits to your workers, please visit www.stridebenefits.com to learn more about partnering with Stride.

About Stride
Stride provides the first Portable Benefits platform helping over 2 million independent workers save time and money on insurance, taxes, and hundreds of thousands of products and services. Stride partners with the world's leading work platforms and employers of non-benefited workers including Uber, Postmates, DoorDash, GrubHub, Rover, Care.com, TaskRabbit, Instacart and Keller Williams so they can provide their workers with access to a complete suite of health and financial benefits. The company is backed by Venrock, New Enterprise Associates, and F-Prime Capital Partners. For more information, visit www.stridehealth.com.

SOURCE Stride Health