Sidecar Health Reviews 

I just had to have emergency surgery and so far I have had the majority of it paid for. They cover my very expensive prescriptions and we get lots of money back from shopping smart. Once you learn the system, it so easy!!

It really depends on who you talk to some people really know the job. Some people don’t really know the job some people explain things better than others.

Once you learn to navigate things this system makes so much more sense!! Everyone has been very supportive and helpful! Great network !!

I’ve had several other insurance before this is by far the worst one I have ever had by all means stay away from them even if you have to pay more money for other insurance, they are useless

Sidecar Health is the absolute best health insurance I have ever had. It’s unique model of no network of price transparency no prior authorizations and savings by being a smart shopper are exactly what’s needed to reform this industry.

This is the best insurance I’ve ever had. Easy to use and submit receipts for prescriptions (and I was worried at the beginning that it would be hard to do). At first I was worried that because it cost so much less than my previous insurance that it wouldn’t be good coverage. I am happy to say I was wrong to worry. They cover way more than my previous insurance did.

I have been completely surprised by Sidecar's responsiveness and helpfulness. The process of being an engaged healthcare consumer is the only reasonable solution to curbing unchecked healthcare costs. I'm a fan.

Sidecar health should be clown car health. Also I would give it 0 stars if possible. It is a high deductible plan that tries to operate in a new way in an old system that doesn’t work. First if you need anything beyond a normal doctors visit or prescription be prepared to start getting frustrated.

One great example - they actually told me paying my deductible was a benefit - also the maximum out of pocket cost has a big * next to it. Why - because if your provider charges more than the benefit amount that is an excess charge and does not count toward your deductible. So excess charges are much greater than the maximum out of pocket so be prepared.

Next up good luck trying to explain Sidecar to anyone in the healthcare industry 1- they’ve never heard of it and when you explain that you don’t have an insurance card to give them because you are paying cash. Here is the response you get - oh so you don’t have insurance and your self pay. We’ll sorta, by they way they don’t have networks, but do have networks. They have certain providers that are direct billers kinds like traditional insurance. So you have this constant back and forth with providers like you have insurance or don’t have insurance. It’s mind numbing to say the least.

Also be prepared to shuttle results back and forth between their preferred providers and your doctor. The lab or imaging benefits they provide mean you most likely won’t be going to the same place to those done. Why does this matter I’ve had to set up accounts with multiple healthcare systems so I could get a test at one and see my doctor at the other. All this takes a lot of time on your part to set up and maintain the information sharing between the two different systems.

Then they want you to shop for care. Most providers aren’t set up for you to shop for care to immediately provide you with itemized receipts (with codes) immediately after seeing someone. Those receipts may not be available till the provider puts in their visit summary. That might not even happen that day. Then you have to load all that stuff up to the app - basically doing all the admin stuff for a plan that is a pain to work with and is high deductible low benefit.

For example - get an imaging test done- I can’t tell you how many medical codes might be included with one test. There could be a facility fee, a readout fee, the test fee, the technician fee and oh by the way which test. You might use the app the find your proposed test and realize sidecar has six different benefit amounts associated with that test if you search by name. Also you may find there are no providers in your area under the benefit amount. Don’t worry they’ll direct you to the provider 2 hours away. Just for reference I live in an urban area not in rural no where.
Also, at least in my area the benefit amounts don’t match any reality as to what the tests actually cost. Ask for the data that they use to give you a benefit amount, which should be publicly available and they refuse to. They talk about transparency and when you try to make them accountable to show how they got their numbers they obfuscate with mumbo jumble. I also found out that one data point can change your benefit amount. I used one doctor in a physicians group. That doctor was $10 under the proposed benefit amounts. I went to use another doctor from a different specialty in that same group, the benefit amount was now lower for the group.

Specially I got two cost estimates for some imaging tests. Sidecars app and the customer care team gave me wildly lower costs and benefit amounts for the tests. After I gave them actual cash estimates from the providers. For another test with a preferred provider ( providers they supposedly have data on costs with from previous interactions) they couldn’t provide an estimate on the benefits or costs of the tests.

I was finally able to get an estimate from the provider, sent it to Sidecar to see if it was accurate. After waiting three weeks they gave me an answer on the benefits and deductible cost by basically copying and pasting the estimate I gave them. Yet they didn’t break down the actual cost of the test and the benefits they’re providing.

Finally, this is quite possibly the worst insurance I’ve ever had. Emergency room visits are your whole deductible how crazy is that!

Another people need to be aware of- You are paying up front for everything. It’s true they give you a visa to pay for things, but the way they do payment you could end up owing Sidecar for the care you received.

If you don’t pay them on time they cut off your insurance and won’t make payment on services until you settle up with them.

Which basically means you don’t have insurance when you go to receive care that you may need at stressful critical times.

I don’t know what Sidecar is but it ain’t insurance and it doesn’t relieve the stress of making sure your covered.

I love that I can shop around for lower cost doctors and different pharmacies that charge lower prices and also the fact I can actually earn money by doing this!!

Sidecar Health allows me to go to the providers I trust without having to worry about it being in or out of network. It does take some legwork to figure out costs, but at the end of the day, being able to choose my providers without limits of a network and sometimes earning money back is totally worth it!

I'm not use to this method. My card keeps getting paused.

They have developed a great concept but it needs fine tuning, sooner rather than later. I love that I can see the provider that I want, no referrals. However, figuring my out of pocket costs and navigating my policy overall can be a challenge. Additionally, it takes too long to get answers to questions. Staff is very nice, but sometimes I don't get accurate information and that can be costly. Be caution about communication that includes the words "likely or probably." Their app/website is tries to be user friendly but I think it needs improvement in providing more clarity based on my specific policy. It can be time consuming to navigate, but the cost savings can be the trade off. I suspect the company may be growing too fast and they just can't keep up. I give them regular feedback. They've yet to respond. The company has great potential. To help offset the cost of labs, I would encourage members to use/join Function Health. For a few hundred dollars a year, you can get a monster size lab draw and clinical feedback that can help you save on your SideCar/medical costs. Not sure if my employer will stay with Sidecar. A preliminary 6 month review shows it is saving my employer money and usage is down. However, employees may not be getting the health care they need because the system is not as easy to navigate or they just don't have the money. And that can lead to more expensive health issues down the road. This is why SideCar needs to make their product more user friendly ASAP. Would love to see SideCar make themselves available to or create a group for those who are independently insured. It should not just be employer based.

The VISA swipe card is convenient and works well. The only area of improvement I would recommend is aa quicker claims process. Overall, I am very. happy with the program

Customer service was very helpful and solved my problems

My husband and I were very nervous about Sidecar Health when we first enrolled last year, but after using this for a year, we love it and can't imagine going back to traditional health insurance.

Customer service has been good.

Easy to use, helpful, knowledgeable staff. They covered my rehab after open heart surgery. Saved me alot of money.

Companies should really change thier Healthcare policies over to this company. I haven't ever had Healthcare this phenomenal. The only problem I see with it is, is the average person can't get it. It is company insurance through an employer coverage.

So far easy to use once you are used to it. But lot of my doctors are not used to it. Or even heard of it.

Too many document to upload every time. Too much time searching for different pharmacies to get prescriptions through different places makes it more difficult to handle it.