Oscar – disrupting health care insurance

Who says Obamacare isn’t good for the economy? There’s a fresh market opportunity for new health insurance companies. I just found out about one.

My daughter works in the tech start-up world and this morning at breakfast she asked me if I heard anything about Oscar.

What’s that?  I asked.

She said it’s the new health care insurance start-up by 28 year old Joshua Kushner, founder of Thrive Capital.  She continued as my eyebrows raised higher. He’s raised $40 million from VCs,  in July was awarded an insurance operating  license by New York State and has already hired 25 people.

Apparently, first reports of this new venture went past my radar. Back in November 2012, GigaOM reported on it.

On July 22 Xconomy, a business and technology online newsletter,  posted on Oscar including this:

“The Oscar team is focused on utilizing technology, design and data to humanize healthcare. We are a group of technology and healthcare dreamers who looked at the current state of the US healthcare system, got frustrated by the horrible consumer experience, and decided to do something big about it.”

The Oscar website  directs you to their job postings.  You can get on the site after registering. I did.

The company launches later this fall and it will only be for New Yorkers at first. Good. They asked for my zip code so maybe I’ll get early marketing materials.

Their offices are around the corner from where I live.  I may stop by and say hello.

If they let me, I’ll take a photo using my Instagram app – he owns part of that too.

Who says Obamacare isn't good for the