Curative Expands No Copay, No Deductible Health Insurance Plan to Houston Metro Area

Curative Insurance Company, provider of a cutting-edge, no copay, no deductible health plan*, is now expanding its fully insured benefit offering to the Houston metro area to serve employers in all of Harris County as well as any of their employees nationwide. Curative plans to expand the fully-insured option statewide in the near future and then to other states later this year. Curative now has one of the largest provider networks in the Houston area as well as a broad nationwide network of providers to support its unique solution.

The launch comes at a time when Houston residents are feeling the burden of out-of-pocket costs (OOP), including deductibles, copays, and co-insurance, all of which are having a significant impact on their overall health and well-being. A new survey of Houstonians found that within the last year, 42% of respondents have deferred seeking medical care because they were worried about paying for it and 49% have not followed through with their prescribed medications because of out-of-pocket costs.

Curative Insurance Company recently commissioned this survey of Houstonians enrolled in employer-sponsored insurance plans** to understand how healthcare costs affect their choices in seeking care.

Among other startling findings, four in ten (43%) Houstonians say they have trouble navigating their insurance plan and do not understand what is covered. Among those not able to understand what is covered by their plan, 71% say they have deferred care and treatment in the past year. Also, 41% say their OOPs are so expensive they may have to use savings or credit cards over the past year to pay for their healthcare services that are not covered by their insurance, including their OOPs. In addition, a majority of six in ten (66%) insured Houstonians have tapped into other financial sources (including borrowing money or cutting back on food, clothing, or other basic household items) to cover their healthcare services.

"As we grow our presence across Texas, and highlight key insights about the negative impact of health insurance deductibles on people's overall health and well-being, it's critical that we offer a better option that's founded on cost transparency and zero out-of-pocket costs to Houston metro residents," said Fred Turner, co-founder and CEO of Curative. "The Curative health plan not only offers members an extensive choice in where and from whom they seek care, but also clarity on their plan's benefits and the true cost of care. Our members are supported by exceptional customer service that helps them navigate every step of their personal health care journey."

The Curative plan covers wellness, preventive care, mental and behavioral health, primary and specialty care, office and hospital visits, prescription drugs, and telemedicine, through a high-quality, PPO network. Curative's health plan eliminates the financial barriers for patients accessing health insurance by offering no-cost services for in-network care with the completion of a baseline visit. To qualify for $0 copays and $0 deductibles for all doctors, hospitals, and other providers in its network, members need to complete the baseline visit within 120 days after enrollment. With the completion of the annual baseline visit and one competitive monthly premium, all members get access to in-network healthcare services.

The Curative plan is now available to employers headquartered in Houston with 51 or more eligible employees nationwide, with broad national network coverage and access to over 1 million providers nationwide. In addition to Houston, Curative's fully-insured benefit offering is currently available in the Austin and San Antonio metro areas across 20 counties in the south-central region of the state. The company also offers a level-funded plan throughout Texas. Building on its success as the largest COVID-19 testing company in the nation, Curative's new health plan marks the company's next growth phase. To learn more about Curative and its new health care plan, visit https://curative.com/.

??*Every Curative member qualifies for the $0 deductible or copay for in-network care and preferred prescriptions by completing a Baseline Visit within 120 days of the plan effective date. See curative.com to learn more. Curative Insurance Company PPO.

**To ensure the representation of key demographic variables, quotas were applied when selecting the sample, and the final data was weighted using the latest Census data through a post-stratification, RIM weighting methodology across demographic variables. The sample included 401 insured adults aged 18 years and above residing in the Houston MSA who voluntarily took part in the survey.

About Curative

Curative is a leading health care services company with an AM-Best rating of A- that has created and launched a first-of-its-kind employer-based health insurance plan. Co-founded by CEO Fred Turner and CTO Isaac Turner (no relation) in 2020, Curative is reengineering health insurance by providing unmatched simplicity and cost transparency with a competitive monthly premium and zero additional costs*. Curative is remaking our healthcare system into one that works for and supports members' whole health and well-being through every step of their personal health journey. Previously, Curative and its managed medical entities were national leaders bringing COVID-19 testing and vaccine-administration resources to bear in response to the pandemic. For more information on Curative, visit https://curative.com/, or follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, or LinkedIn.

*To qualify, members need to complete a Baseline Visit within 120 days of the plan's effective date, which kicks off support of the member's well-being through every step of their health journey.