They randomly change benefit amounts without notice. Making it hard to properly plan care. My medicine changed randomly despite being the same cost for first 8 months of the year.
Losing trust in this insurer. Hoping to be proven wrong but this among other changes and premium increases, hard to seek to stay with them.
They simply reply “they review their benefit amounts and make changes based on their costs”. But still can’t explain why they feel no need to warn insurers.
RC
Rodriguez C.
This is horrible coverage
This is horrible coverage. They will low ball every procedure and appointment. They will review a good faith estimate, which takes 5-30 business days. In my case, I was told to cancel a procedure because it was outside of their budget. They promised to supply a list of options that would be more cost effective, however at the last minute claimed they could not find any options. I was directed to stick with the appointment they told me to cancel. Which delayed the appointment by almost a month.
If your company goes with this coverage, decline it or find another job. I’d rather have no coverage than have this scam.
Response from Sidecar HealthSep 30, 2026
Sidecar Health doesn't decide when or where a member gets care. For every service, we show a clear Benefit Amount based on the typical local cost where the member lives, and at least half of providers are at or below it.
For services that aren't easily shoppable in the app, like a surgery or procedure, a member can get an estimate from the provider they want and send it to us. We compare it to the Benefit Amount and share the comparison with the member. If it's higher, we provide at least one option at or below the Benefit Amount. Members without a provider in mind can have us do the shopping for them, and we'll give them options, with one always at or below the Benefit Amount.
With no network restrictions and transparent costs, members can choose any provider they'd like and know what they'll pay in advance, or earn for choosing lower-cost care.
CM
Chris M.
In theory it is great, but is only in theory.
In theory it is great, but that is only in theory. Just make sure to do all the work for them, obtain itemized receipts and upload said receipts. Then they will deny you even when their literature says it is covered. Once you call them out and submit said literature from their company saying it is approved, they will still deny you. But at least they said sorry. Not the fault of the employees. Just more business majors making medical decisions to line their pockets.
Response from Sidecar HealthSep 30, 2026
To process any claim, we need documentation of the services received. Members have options: an itemized invoice, visit notes, or a few questions about the visit answered directly in the app. Uploading an invoice is one option, not the only one.
Sidecar Health approves over 99% of claims, which reflects our belief that medical decisions belong between patients and their doctors. Some services and prescriptions, like GLP-1 as a common example, do require specific criteria to be met, as with most other health plans. Listing a service as covered describes the benefit — some services do require the member to meet specific criteria.
AC
Anthonette “.
I’m not understanding why I haven’t…
I’m not understanding why I haven’t received my reimbursement from Sidecar now that I no longer work for the company I was insured through
Response from Sidecar HealthSep 25, 2026
When members leave their company and are no longer covered by Sidecar Health, any unused earnings accumulated from choosing care below the Benefit Amount are paid to their employer approximately one month after Sidecar Health is notified of the change in employment status. The employer then typically pays those earnings to the former employee through payroll.
CG
Cathleen G.
This is not traditional insurance
This is not traditional insurance, it's really not insurance at all. It's a matter of wether they decide to cover an expense or not. Usually not. The only thing you can count on with them is taking your payment every month. Poor communication, payment and service. Worst insurance I've had in over 50 years
Response from Sidecar HealthSep 4, 2026
Sidecar Health is different from traditional health insurance by design — but it is absolutely health insurance. Our plans are ACA-compliant major medical insurance, regulated and subject to the same requirements as other health insurers.
What’s different is the model. Instead of relying on restrictive networks, prior authorization and referrals, Sidecar Health gives members the freedom to see any licensed provider and transparency into how much they’ll pay for care. Costs are guaranteed, and members can use the app to shop for care knowing that when they choose care that costs less than their Benefit Amount — the amount Sidecar Health pays, based on average local prices — they keep half the savings. If they choose higher-cost care, they pay the difference. Either way, the choice is theirs and the cost is known upfront.
It’s also possible that you’re enrolled in an HSA-eligible plan. If so, federal rules require members to pay the full cost of most non-preventive care until their deductible is met. Preventive care — including federally defined services like routine checkups, vaccinations and recommended screenings — is covered before the deductible. When a member pays for non-preventive care in full before meeting their deductible, it’s not a reflection of Sidecar Health’s coverage; it’s the way federal law requires HSA plans to function.
BF
bj F.
Run from this Insurance
I’ve had several other insurance before this is by far the worst one I have ever had by all means stay away from them even if you have to pay more money for other insurance, they are useless
Response from Sidecar HealthJul 20, 2026
Sidecar Health works differently than traditional insurance, and that's by design. It's built on transparency — no guesswork, no surprise bills after getting care. You always know your cost upfront. In the app, you shop for care with guaranteed costs or earnings — if you choose a provider that charges less than the plan pays (which is at least 50% of providers where you live), we share half the savings with you. There's no network, no prior authorization, and no referrals.
We're called Sidecar Health because we put members in the driver's seat of their healthcare, and we're always by their side.
OG
Ohio G.
Sidecar health should be clown car…
Sidecar health should be clown car health. Also I would give it 0 stars if possible. It is a high deductible plan that tries to operate in a new way in an old system that doesn’t work. First if you need anything beyond a normal doctors visit or prescription be prepared to start getting frustrated.
One great example - they actually told me paying my deductible was a benefit - also the maximum out of pocket cost has a big * next to it. Why - because if your provider charges more than the benefit amount that is an excess charge and does not count toward your deductible. So excess charges are much greater than the maximum out of pocket so be prepared.
Next up good luck trying to explain Sidecar to anyone in the healthcare industry 1- they’ve never heard of it and when you explain that you don’t have an insurance card to give them because you are paying cash. Here is the response you get - oh so you don’t have insurance and your self pay. We’ll sorta, by they way they don’t have networks, but do have networks. They have certain providers that are direct billers kinds like traditional insurance. So you have this constant back and forth with providers like you have insurance or don’t have insurance. It’s mind numbing to say the least.
Also be prepared to shuttle results back and forth between their preferred providers and your doctor. The lab or imaging benefits they provide mean you most likely won’t be going to the same place to those done. Why does this matter I’ve had to set up accounts with multiple healthcare systems so I could get a test at one and see my doctor at the other. All this takes a lot of time on your part to set up and maintain the information sharing between the two different systems.
Then they want you to shop for care. Most providers aren’t set up for you to shop for care to immediately provide you with itemized receipts (with codes) immediately after seeing someone. Those receipts may not be available till the provider puts in their visit summary. That might not even happen that day. Then you have to load all that stuff up to the app - basically doing all the admin stuff for a plan that is a pain to work with and is high deductible low benefit.
For example - get an imaging test done- I can’t tell you how many medical codes might be included with one test. There could be a facility fee, a readout fee, the test fee, the technician fee and oh by the way which test. You might use the app the find your proposed test and realize sidecar has six different benefit amounts associated with that test if you search by name. Also you may find there are no providers in your area under the benefit amount. Don’t worry they’ll direct you to the provider 2 hours away. Just for reference I live in an urban area not in rural no where.
Also, at least in my area the benefit amounts don’t match any reality as to what the tests actually cost. Ask for the data that they use to give you a benefit amount, which should be publicly available and they refuse to. They talk about transparency and when you try to make them accountable to show how they got their numbers they obfuscate with mumbo jumble. I also found out that one data point can change your benefit amount. I used one doctor in a physicians group. That doctor was $10 under the proposed benefit amounts. I went to use another doctor from a different specialty in that same group, the benefit amount was now lower for the group.
Specially I got two cost estimates for some imaging tests. Sidecars app and the customer care team gave me wildly lower costs and benefit amounts for the tests. After I gave them actual cash estimates from the providers. For another test with a preferred provider ( providers they supposedly have data on costs with from previous interactions) they couldn’t provide an estimate on the benefits or costs of the tests.
I was finally able to get an estimate from the provider, sent it to Sidecar to see if it was accurate. After waiting three weeks they gave me an answer on the benefits and deductible cost by basically copying and pasting the estimate I gave them. Yet they didn’t break down the actual cost of the test and the benefits they’re providing.
Finally, this is quite possibly the worst insurance I’ve ever had. Emergency room visits are your whole deductible how crazy is that!
Another people need to be aware of- You are paying up front for everything. It’s true they give you a visa to pay for things, but the way they do payment you could end up owing Sidecar for the care you received.
If you don’t pay them on time they cut off your insurance and won’t make payment on services until you settle up with them.
Which basically means you don’t have insurance when you go to receive care that you may need at stressful critical times.
I don’t know what Sidecar is but it ain’t insurance and it doesn’t relieve the stress of making sure your covered.
Response from Sidecar HealthJul 8, 2026
Sidecar Health isn't a single high-deductible plan. Employers choose the plan design, including whether there's a deductible and how much, and high deductible HSA-eligible plans follow the same IRS rules as any other HSA plan.
There's also no network — members can see any licensed provider. Benefit Amounts are set to the typical local cost for a service, not by provider, and at least half of providers in any given area charge at or below that amount.
Members shop in the app before booking and see a guaranteed cost or earnings upfront. Any cost above the Benefit Amount is visible before care is received, so choosing a higher-cost provider is always a fully informed decision, never a surprise.
Members are responsible for their deductible costs, same as any plan, but Sidecar Health is unique in giving members the chance to earn money back on top. Over 80% of claims come in at or below the Benefit Amount, earning an average of $41 back per claim, and a family of four earns about $1,000 back a year on average.
Coverage is never cut off for an outstanding balance, and payment plans are available through our partner Paytient.
On the ER point: a copay on a legacy plan usually covers only the facility fee. Physician, imaging, lab, or any other additional services are are billed separately through deductible and coinsurance, so a "$250 ER copay" can still leave members owing much more.
Comparing prices before making a purchase isn't something Sidecar Health invented — it's how people shop for almost everything else in life. Sidecar Health brings that same transparency to healthcare, at a time when legacy health plans still leave people paying whatever they're billed with no visibility into cost beforehand. That lack of transparency is a big part of why healthcare costs keep rising, and it's exactly the problem Sidecar Health was built to fix — all while putting members in complete control of their care.
YA
Yasmina
Probably the worst service I’ve ever…
Probably the worst service I’ve ever had to use. My job has us use this platform which has been such a mistake on their end. For those who frequent the dermatologist, Sidecar’s whole process is a pain. Their customer service lacks tools to solve any issue and will mark the case as resolved when it’s not. They tell you what you have available to spend on the app but no way to put it towards appointments because no doctor has ever even heard of sidecar. On top of that I’m now getting billed out of pocket to pay the same amount my appointments would be without insurance at all. It’s really a pointless organization.
Update to response:
It’s amazing to me that you have the time to respond to reviews but not your actual customers on the app. In regards to “guaranteed price” that is untrue and I have screenshots of when I booked a service with a urgent care that stated I’d pay a certain price, when it came time to swipe the card, guess what? The amount was not that amount on the app… there were still more fees. Almost every healthcare facility has no idea what sidecar is and agrees it is a mess of a company.
Response from Sidecar HealthJun 16, 2026
Sidecar Health has no provider network — members shop for care in the app, see exactly what they'll pay before booking, and that amount is guaranteed — even if the provider charges more or adds on common services.
Members pay providers directly using the Sidecar Health Visa, accepted at any provider that takes credit card payment — virtually every doctor in the country. If they take Visa, they take Sidecar Health.
Like any health insurance plan, employers can opt to have a deductible. Non-preventive services apply towards it before the plan begins covering its share — this is standard on every major medical plan, legacy insurance included. Members can see exactly what the plan covers for any service before they ever book an appointment, and that amount counts towards the deductible.
