Inside the rise of the HRA

Hello,

Welcome to Insider Healthcare. I'm Lydia Ramsey Pflanzer, and today in healthcare news:

• Why companies are jumping onto a Trump-era healthcare policy;
• Tiger Global's been on a digital health startup funding spree;
• 'Vaccine angels' are working through the night to book COVID shots.

If you're new to this newsletter, sign up here. Comments, tips, recipes? Email me at [email protected] or tweet @lydiaramsey125. Now, let's get to it…

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Well, it's official: Amazon Care is expanding nationally, and not just to Amazon employees, but to other companies as well.

That news won't surprise readers of this newsletter, who will recall that Blake Dodge had the scoop on Friday that this was coming.

It's wild to think how far Amazon is starting to push into delivering medical care.

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A controversial Trump-era policy is saving companies millions by letting them ditch their health plans and send workers to buy their own coverage

• A growing number of employers are giving their workers money to buy health coverage on their own.
• The strategy, made available by Trump, is saving some employers big. One expects to save $7.2 million.
• But critics worry employers will abuse the strategy, and Biden's plans for HRAs are unclear.

Go deeper here>>

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$50 billion Tiger Global has been on a digital-health funding spree. Here are the 11 startups it's backed in the past 4 months.

• Since November, Tiger Global has participated digital health funding rounds worth $1.7 billion.
• The asset manager has invested billions in consumer- and finance-geared tech startups.
• The 11 startups it's backed in the last four months, include DispatchHealth and Hinge Health.

Check out the full list here>>

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'Vaccine angels' are working through the night to book shots for people in danger of getting left behind

• Volunteer "vaccine angels" around the country are helping high-risk people get vaccinated.
• In Chicago, one group says it has helped 1,250 elderly people and frontline workers obtain shots.
• These volunteers are navigating the online signup process for those who can't do it themselves.

Get the full story here>>

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More stories we're reading today:

• A top exec at upstart health insurer Oscar just joined the board of vape company Juul (Insider)
• 4 healthcare startups changing how we deliver diabetes care (Stat News)
• Despite what the CDC says, domestic travel is safe for fully vaccinated people, even Biden is doing it (Insider)
• Researchers have been growing mouse embryos in artificial wombs, and humans could be up next (MIT Tech Review)

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- Lydia