Introducing affordable health plans for the Gig Economy

I had two overwhelming emotions when I quit my corporate job to chart my entrepreneurial journey. The first was INDEPENDENCE - free to pursue my professional and personal goals in my time and on my terms. The second one was that of DEPENDENCE - my family, my parents, and I, whose health was covered by my employer, were suddenly left with little to no insurance coverage. I had to instantly plan to protect my family and parents, which is when I realized that it was a costly, challenging, and anxiety-driven purchase journey. Being comfortable with purchasing online, I could browse through my options. Still, none met my needs easily - while I could find a few options for myself, my spouse, and my kids, finding insurance for my parents, who are around 70 years old and in good health, was challenging. The purchase process started online, but I needed to talk to at least 5-6 agents/Tele-callers and was feeling left even more high and dry after these conversations. The available plans were not only expensive, but they also came with a 3-4 years waiting period, and to add to the "hurdles," my parents had to go through a medical check-up which was flatly refused since the pandemic was its peak. Even if I did manage to purchase these plan(s), I did not have the confidence that I would have a smooth experience at the time of claim. Finally, the regular medical expenses related to doctor consultations, diagnostics, medicines, and well-being keep piling up for the entire family without recourse.

While I am a start-up founder, it is easy to see that anyone opting out of the formal economy and being a Gig Professional would share the same emotions I went through. Three million Indians are a part of the Gig economy today, which can serve up to 90 million jobs in India as per the BCG MSDF report, 2021. This potential can only be fulfilled if INDEPENDENCE is enhanced with more opportunities & predictive income, and DEPENDENCE is solved through accessible and affordable health plans for Gig Professionals and their families.

We started Alyve Health with a vision to provide any group with health plans that are affordable, adequate, accessible, assuring, and with adjacent medical care benefits. By working with our partners in the health insurance ecosystem, we have introduced a product that overcomes the specific challenges faced by the Gig Professional. Some of the salient features of the product:

Affordable: Prices start at Rs 999/family/year; 40-70% cheaper than similar product(s) available in the retail market.

Adequate: Coverage up to Rs 30 lacs sum insured with options to purchase similar covers for parents up to the age of 75.

Accessible: Simple product without any pre-issuance medicals, 3-step digital purchase with one click help option for any clarification during the purchase.

Assuring: 1 click guaranteed claims support on the Alyve Health app; all relevant documents for a claim, including health cards, forms, etc., are available on the app.

Adjacent benefits: Free doctor (General Physician) on call for 12 months, pre-negotiated discounts on medicine delivery & diagnostics, and exclusive beta access to Alyve Challenges & Alyve Store (Gamified health and wellness)- available through the Alyve Health app, your single gateway to health.

We are excited about partnering with GigVistas to take this product to the members of the GigVistas platform. The Alyve Health and GigVistas team met at a very early stage, and we realized at once that we had a shared belief. By providing access to an affordable and comprehensive health plan, we make the Gig Professional truly INDEPENDENT - a prerequisite for our country's Gig Economy's growth. If you are a Gig Professional, go ahead and register on the GigVistas platform to access this plan.