We read Oscar Health’s public filing so you don’t have to

Hello,

Late Friday, Oscar Health dropped its S-1 filing as it prepares to go public. We read through the full 208-page document so you don’t have to. Here’s what we learned. Meanwhile, Clover Health is pushing back after a short report put it in the hot seat, 

Also in healthcare news: How a Black founder raised $5 million for a startup investors said was too niche, and the ways rich people are gaming the vaccine system.  

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Oscar Health, the original buzzy health insurance startup, has filed to go public. We pored over its 208-page filing to find 4 key takeaways.

• Oscar Health, the insurer founded by Joshua Kushner and Mario Schlosser, has filed to go public.
• Its S-1 filing lays out its financials and reveals its dual-class stock structure that allows cofounders to keep control.
• We pored over its 208-page filing to find the key takeaways. 

Read the full story from Shelby Livingston here>>

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Investors told this Black founder that BIPOC-geared teletherapy was too niche. Here’s how Kevin Dedner raised $5 million to start Hurdle anyway.

• Hurdle, a digital health platform offering culturally competent therapists, raised a $5 million seed round in January.
• Hurdle addresses the unmet need of BIPOC mental health patients in a system that’s not designed for everyone.
• Founder Kevin Dedner struggled to find funding, with investors telling him Hurdle’s offerings were too niche to turn a profit.

Read the full story from Patricia Kelly Yeo here>>

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Some rich people are gaming the system to get COVID-19 vaccines using hefty donations and cozy relationships with CEOs

• The COVID-19 vaccine rollout in America has been a discombobulated mess.
• The rich have taken advantage of loopholes, using money and connections to jump the line.
• Poorer people and communities of color have been left behind, despite having higher COVID-19 rates.

Read the full story from Julia Naftulin and Allana Akhtar here>>

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More stories we're reading:

• A health insurer backed by Chamath Palihapitiya is in the hot seat after a scathing short-seller report. Here's how Clover Health responded to 4 of the biggest claims. (Insider)
• What's coming next for COVID-19 vaccines? Here's the latest on 11 leading programs. (Insider)
• The CDC paid $44 million for a vaccine software system to help with the rollout. Most states have abandoned it by now. (MIT Technology Review)
• Fauci explains why you should keep wearing a face mask after receiving a COVID-19 shot (Insider)
• A woman who is breastfeeding was denied a COVID-19 vaccine after a county in Illinois said it wouldn't give it to pregnant or breastfeeding moms (Chicago Tribune)
• South Africa halted its AstraZeneca trial after a new analysis found it "provides minimal protection" from a new variant (Stat News)

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- Lydia