Collaboration adds Carrum’s bundled specialty care — surgical, cancer and substance use treatment — to Sidecar Health’s transparent, consumer-driven model

Sidecar Health, the leading consumer-driven health insurance company, today announced a new partnership with Carrum Health, the leader in value-based Centers of Excellence (COE), to bring Carrum’s specialty care bundles onto the Sidecar Health platform. Sidecar Health members will now have access to bundled prices for more than 1,200 rigorously vetted COE providers for surgical, cancer, and substance use treatment – accessible to 90% of Americans within 50 miles of a Carrum provider.

The partnership highlights a structural change in how healthcare can – and should – work. Sidecar Health’s model allows members to shop for care with the same transparency and financial control they expect in every other part of their lives.

For every medical service, Sidecar Health provides a Benefit Amount, which is set according to local provider prices and shown upfront. In the Sidecar Health app, members can see pricing for nearly every doctor in the nation as well as guaranteed financial outcomes to help them shop for care confidently. Sidecar Health members know exactly what their plan pays before they get care. When they choose care priced below their Benefit Amount, they keep half of the savings; if they select care that costs more, they simply pay the difference – all based on their own preferences and priorities.

To tackle the biggest costs that reside downstream in specialty care, Sidecar members will now receive facilitated access to Carrum’s top-tier COE providers at all-inclusive, pre-negotiated bundled prices. Carrum’s model is independently validated to produce up to 45% cost savings on expensive treatments, with 30% surgery avoidance and 80% reduced readmissions.

“This collaboration demonstrates our vision in action,” said Patrick Quigley, CEO and co-founder of Sidecar Health. “We don’t limit or steer members. We give them the tools and aligned incentives to make their own informed choices. When market leaders like Carrum offer transparency on quality and price, it shows what’s possible: better care, lower costs, and a more sustainable healthcare system.”

“Sidecar Health is daring to break from the traditional insurance model built on opaque pricing and misaligned incentives and instead empowers members and incentivizes them to make smart healthcare choices,” said Brent Nicholson, co-founder and Chief Growth Officer at Carrum Health. “By working together, we are giving members even greater confidence and clarity in selecting the highest value specialty care providers.”

For Carrum, the partnership represents an opportunity to expand beyond large self-funded employers and serve Sidecar Health’s growing base of covered lives.

For the industry, this partnership signals that healthcare’s future will be driven by consumer choice and that even complex care can be delivered in a way that is both high-quality and affordable.

About Sidecar Health

Sidecar Health is a major medical insurance company on a mission to make high-quality healthcare more affordable and accessible for everyone. We lower costs by putting people in control of their health decisions — no prior authorizations, no referrals, no networks. Members can visit any provider and pay directly with the Sidecar Health Visa card. And because they see what their plan covers upfront, they’re motivated to make cost-conscious choices. If they spend less, they keep half of the savings; if they spend more, they pay the difference. This model reshapes behavior, reduces costs, and cuts through the red tape that defines traditional insurance. With fewer than 1% of claims clinically denied, Sidecar Health puts people — not insurers — at the center of the system. The result: better access, greater transparency, and more empowered consumers. Learn more at sidecarhealth.com.

About Carrum Health

Carrum Health is changing how we pay for and deliver care. We offer self-insured employers and plan sponsors a value-based Centers of Excellence (COE) solution that connects their members with a rigorously vetted network of specialty care providers. Carrum’s upfront, all-inclusive bundled pricing, award-winning technology, and dedicated care navigation team help lower costs for both members and employers while delivering a superior member experience. Carrum is independently validated to reduce unnecessary procedures by as much as 30%, lower readmissions by 80% and save employers up to 45% per episode of surgical care. Learn more at carrumhealth.com.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20250923539934/en/

Sidecar Health and Carrum Health partner to bring Centers of Excellence into Sidecar's consumer-driven health plan that allows members to shop for care with the same transparency and financial control they expect in every other part of their lives.