Sidecar is a terrible company and not helpful when you question. They fail to pay for doctor requested testing needs, they barely cover bloodwork when required by a doctor and they are zero help when you ask how to communicate with our doctor because we don’t know and they say sorry can’t help you there. This is a terrible service and nothing but building frustration. You are much better off taking the money you pay Sidecar monthly and negotiate with your doctors, you will save. Just go to an insurance company for hospitalization coverage for large expenses. These people are out to rob us.
Response from Sidecar HealthJun 11, 2026
Sidecar Health covers labs and bloodwork, along with all other medically necessary care — over 99% of claims are approved.
Like all insurance plans, members pay for care until their deductible is met. With Sidecar Health, shopping for care is what keeps costs low — and it's core to how the model works: members see transparent, guaranteed costs in the app before they go, and keep half the savings when they choose care below the Benefit Amount (the amount the plan pays — set to the local average cost in every market). That's how we eliminate networks, prior authorization, and the other traditional barriers to care.
For labs specifically, Quest Diagnostics and LabCorp are guaranteed to be at or below the Benefit Amount, meaning members won't owe more than their deductible, and have the opportunity to earn money back. Over 80% of lab claims cost members nothing or earn money back — $40 on average.
Most members find it simple to talk to their provider about Sidecar Health. Members tell their provider it's a new kind of insurance, they'll pay directly with a Sidecar Health Visa card, and they'll need an invoice. If members need extra support they can always reach out to Member Care who will get on a three-way-call with them and their provider.
MP
Mersadeez P.
This is an update after Sidecar…
This is an update after Sidecar responded and said I still have active coverage with them locking my card. I can’t be seen at the Urgent Care because they are not in network. I can’t only use my ID card to go to the ER which is a waste of resources and money!!!! I have been sick for weeks don’t know what is wrong and I pay for insurance I can’t use.
Response from Sidecar HealthJun 5, 2026
The concerns raised here are the same ones addressed in our response to this member's previous review.
Sidecar Health is a network-free health plan — members can visit any urgent care, specialist, or other licensed provider of their choosing. Some providers bill Sidecar Health directly. At those locations, members simply show their member ID card and no direct payment is required at the time of service. These providers can be found in the Sidecar Health app. At all other providers, members pay using their Sidecar Health Visa card at the time of service.
If a payment card has been locked it is typically the result of suspected fraud, unauthorized use, or charges outside the plan's covered medical expenses. Members can always pay with a personal payment method and submit for reimbursement up to their Benefit Amount, subject to their deductible status. A locked card never affects a member's coverage or ability to seek care.
RO
rose
If I could give zero stars
If I could give zero stars , I would . $5k deductible . What ever procedure or care that is diagnostic, is all out of pocket until the deductible is met. I feel like I’m paying a premium every paycheck , but I’m doing all of my own legwork . And I’m basically “Dr shopping “ and having to go to a different pharmacy every time I need a refill because we are supposed to go in the portal and shop around where it’s cheapest . Then you have to jump through hoops transferring your prescription every few months . I hate it and I do not feel INSURED ! Customer service ppl give you incorrect information and I’ve even had a rep hang up on me because I asked for a supervisor
Response from Sidecar HealthMay 11, 2026
Deductibles are set by the employer, not Sidecar Health. Similarly, what care is covered before the deductible is met depends on the plan design chosen by the employer — though all plans include preventive care coverage regardless of deductible status.
Sidecar Health is designed to put members in the driver's seat — shopping for care the same way they shop for everything else, with full price transparency before getting care. When members spend less than what the plan covers, they earn money back — roughly half of all providers charge less than what the plan pays. When people have transparency and real financial incentives, costs come down for everyone. That's how Sidecar eliminates the need for prior authorization, referrals, and step therapy — and expands access at the same time.
On pharmacies: Members are not required to switch pharmacies for every prescription. Typically, the most cost-effective pharmacies are also the best choice across the board. Shopping around is an option available to members, not a requirement for each refill.
On customer service: What's been described does not reflect the standard we've set for member care. We ask that the member reach out directly with more details so we can look into it. Our member care team is available 7 days a week by phone and chat, and answers 90% of calls in under 10 seconds.
DE
Dee
Not fond of the system
Not fond of the system. Recorded login and password, however, when I go to use it says to reset password= annoying
Response from Sidecar HealthMay 11, 2026
This isn't a typical experience. Our member care team is always available to help with technical issues like this one.
TF
Tobi F.
You are paying the same or more than…
You are paying the same or more than the average insurance provider but you have to do their jobs for them.
Response from Sidecar HealthMay 11, 2026
Sidecar Health is designed to put members in the driver's seat. Costs are visible and guaranteed in the app before getting care. There are no prior authorizations, no referrals, no step therapy, and no network restrictions — members can see any provider they choose. And it works: 78% of the time, members choose care that costs less than or equal to what the plan pays. And when it costs less, they keep half the savings — $44 on average.
That's a fundamentally different model than legacy insurance — one that puts the member in control and brings costs down for everyone.
MI
Michal
Sidecar Health refused continuity of…
Sidecar Health refused continuity of care for my son's surgery and a paperwork technicality cost us $7,000
I'm writing this as a mom who is still angry and still trying to make sense of how we ended up here.
My son Daniel is 22 and away at college. His shoulder started hurting last spring. At first we thought he just slept on it wrong. Then a few weeks turned into a few months, and the pain wasn't going away.
He saw a doctor. He got an MRI. The doctor recommended physical therapy and a steroid injection. Daniel did all of it. Three months of PT. The injection. He showed up. He did the work. None of it helped. He kept hurting.
That's when he came to UHealth in December. By that point, he had already been in pain for eight months and had already exhausted everything a doctor would normally try before talking about surgery. The team at UHealth ordered another MRI, this one with contrast, because they suspected something the first one had missed. They were right. The imaging on January 15th showed a tear in his shoulder. On January 22nd, the doctor sat him down, confirmed the diagnosis, and told him surgery was the answer. The surgical authorization was submitted that same week, while we were still on our old plan.
The plan was set. Daniel had a path forward. He was finally going to get to stop hurting.
Then on February 1st, our employer switched to Sidecar Health.
Daniel's surgical consult had originally been scheduled for the last week of January. He couldn't make it because of his college class schedule. The first appointment they could give him was February 3rd. Same hospital. Same medical record. Same diagnosis. Same plan. Just a different week on the calendar.
That three-day gap is the entire reason Sidecar denied continuity of care.
Let me say that again, because it still doesn't feel real when I type it. My son had been in pain for eight months. He had failed PT. He had failed an injection. He had two MRIs. He had a confirmed diagnosis. He had a surgery already in motion. And Sidecar Health told us none of it counted, because he hadn't physically walked into the surgeon's office before February 1st.
I tried to be reasonable. I really did. I understand insurance companies have rules. I understand that Sidecar's whole pitch is "we show you prices and you choose," and in a normal situation I think that's a fine idea. But this wasn't a normal situation. We weren't shopping. We weren't choosing. We were in the middle of getting our kid out of pain.
The surgery date was picked around his college spring break so he could recover without missing classes. There was no room to start over with a new surgeon, repeat the consults, redo the workup, and still hit that window. We had to keep going with the team that already knew his case.
I pushed. Our benefits consultant pushed harder. We walked Sidecar through the medical records, line by line. We asked for reconsideration. We asked for a clinical review. We asked for it to go to executive leadership. Every single level came back with the same one-sentence answer. No conversation. No engagement with the evidence. Just no.
So we paid. We wrote a check for more than $7,000 out of pocket so Daniel could have his surgery with the surgeon who knew him, at the hospital where his whole workup was done. Seven thousand dollars because of a calendar.
I'm a mom. I'm not a policy expert. But I know what continuity of care is supposed to mean. It's supposed to protect families in exactly the situation we were in. Mid-treatment. Mid-diagnosis. Already on a path. If your continuity of care policy can be defeated by a rescheduled appointment, it isn't really continuity of care. It's a loophole with a friendly name on it.
If you are an HR leader or sit on a benefits committee and Sidecar Health is being pitched to you, please ask hard questions about how their continuity of care policy actually works for real people in real situations. Ask for written examples. Get the answers in your contract. Because when it was our family's turn, the answer was no, and the cost landed on us.
Daniel is recovering well. No thanks to Sidecar.
Response from Sidecar HealthMay 19, 2026
While we can’t discuss a member’s medical situation publicly, we do want to share as much context as we can about what happened and how it was resolved.
Continuity of Care protections are intended for situations where a member is already in the middle of a complex course of treatment — such as cancer care, pregnancy, or a planned surgery — and should not be expected to change providers mid-treatment after joining a new health plan.
In this case, the consultation with the treating specialist was scheduled shortly after the member’s effective date, which is why the initial review did not identify it as previously established care under the standard Continuity of Care process.
After a secondary review and a more complete understanding of the member’s treatment history, it became clear the specialist relationship and treatment path had effectively already been established prior to enrollment, and the post-effective-date consultation was more a continuation of that process than a brand-new course of care.
Based on that additional context, the original determination was reversed, and Sidecar Health covered the surgery and related expenses.
We are also reviewing the policy internally to help ensure similar situations are evaluated consistently going forward.
CU
customer
The worst at everything
The worst at everything. Can't get any legit customer service, the never understand invoices, and it's not worth the money you spend on it. I can't even cancel.
Response from Sidecar HealthMar 3, 2026
We answer 90% of member calls in under 10 seconds and are always available via phone, chat, or in-app message. If you ever have questions about an expense or need help getting an invoice our Member Care team is happy to help.
BC
Bill C.
This insurance is a SCAM
This insurance is a scam. Consistently ask for CPT codes (which no other insurance has ever asked us to do), never pay for anything, refuse to find doctors to cover in your area and tell you to do the research (we've complained about this with our company's HR department and they finally did the flippin' work). They are absolutely the cheapest insurance for your employer to offer to its employees. We now will actively ask, if we ever have to change jobs again, if an employer offers sidecar insurance and will not accept employment with them purely based on this insurance company being offered as "benefits". They are not a benefit. They are a bi monthly leech from your paycheck and pay nothing on medical bills "benefit".
And no, we do not have an HSA account. You're just bad.
*** Need to mention that they tried to report my review and have it taken down. They were denied. Nice try!***
Response from Sidecar HealthFeb 23, 2026
Every U.S. health insurer uses CPT codes to determine reimbursement, and some services require providers to confirm them before exact coverage can be finalized. For most care, Sidecar Health simplifies this — our app shows guaranteed coverage amounts nationwide, with CPT codes handled behind the scenes.
Based on your description, it sounds like you may be enrolled in an HSA-eligible plan. With this type of plan, non-preventive care is subject to the deductible. This means you pay the cost of care upfront, and those expenses count toward your deductible. Once your deductible is met, your plan begins paying covered care up to the Benefit Amount. This is a requirement for HSA-eligible plans and is not unique to Sidecar Health.
Every Sidecar Health member has guaranteed access to care where they live with no networks, referrals, or prior authorizations. Most members choose care that's at or below the Benefit Amount — 78% of member claims result in no cost or they earn money back, with members earning an average of $44 each time they spend less than the plan covers.
