Oscar Health to Expand It’s Texas Footprint, But Not in DFW

Insurance startup Oscar Health plans to expand into to five additional Texas counties in 2018, but none of them will be in the Dallas-Fort Worth market, the insurer said Wednesday.The company says it has filed a request with the federal government to begin selling plans in Travis, Williamson, Hays, Comal and Guadalupe counties during enrollment this fall.The New York-based insurer was co-founded by Josh Kushner, brother of White House senior adviser Jared Kushner. It began selling health plans on the marketplace in Texas in 2015. A year later, like several national carriers, Oscar scaled back its offerings in the state, citing financial losses.But there is demand for models that boost competition and that make the industry easier for consumers to navigate, said Jamie Dudensing, CEO of the Texas Association of Health Plans.Oscar was founded in 2012, with the goal of simplifying the process of shopping for health insurance and to boost value for people using the health care system.Oscar did have marketplace plans available in Dallas-Fort Worth this year. It only remained in San Antonio’s Bexar County, where about 40,000 members are enrolled. Its roots will grow deeper into San Antonio, and it will enter Austin’s market in 2018, if the expansion is approved by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.  Continue reading...