I’m Joining the Board of Collective Health!
Ali and I on a panel together at the Rock Health Summit in 2018
I first met Ali Diab and the Collective Health team a decade ago when Rock Health made an early investment in the company. Over the past decade, I've watched Collective Health grow from a promising, scrappy startup to a leader in the digital health space, consistently delivering on its promise to make health benefits work better for both employers and employees.
Today, Collective Health is the leading health benefits platform that brings together medical, dental, vision, pharmacy, and other health programs into a single integrated solution that better enables employees and their families to understand, navigate, and pay for healthcare.
The team has gone on to serve hundreds of employers, process $17 billion in medical claims, raise $720 million in funding, and most importantly— improve the healthcare experience for over 500,000 Americans.
And now I’m excited to share that I’m joining the board!
Ali started Collective Health after facing a life-threatening medical emergency requiring urgent surgery. While dealing with a challenging recovery, he found himself battling his health insurer over massive hospital bills. The insurer claimed some charges were experimental or due to physician error, leaving Ali with a shockingly large portion of the bill.
This led Ali to a realization many of us learn the hard way: patients are often left to advocate for themselves in a healthcare system where economic incentives are misaligned, and getting clear answers from health insurance companies is nearly impossible. He wondered:
Why have insurance premiums and deductibles risen so much faster than underlying healthcare costs?
Why is the billing process so confusing and opaque?
Why hasn't software been fully leveraged to streamline how companies pay for healthcare?
These questions formed the foundation of Collective Health's mission to create an experience that is simple, transparent, and actually feels good to use. Ali's vision for an efficient, user-centric platform that brings clarity to healthcare immediately resonated with me then, and it continues to inspire me today.
The importance of Collective Health's work cannot be overstated. In a healthcare system plagued by increasing costs, complexity, and fragmentation, Collective Health is committed to:
Simplifying the complex: The healthcare industry has seen a proliferation of point solutions, which, while innovative, have added layers of complexity to an already disjointed system. Collective Health integrates the best of these solutions into a coordinated, connected, and seamless offering. This approach creates a healthcare experience that is both richer and more versatile, yet simpler and easier to use.
Removing friction: By challenging conventions and fostering collaboration, Collective Health helps people navigate the healthcare system more effectively. They bridge the gaps between employers, employees, and the multitude of industry players, tackling the seemingly impossible task of bringing all these elements together cohesively.
Leading the way: Collective Health has fundamentally changed perceptions about what's possible in benefits experiences, they now bear the responsibility of making this new standard the norm. They embrace their leadership role, continually pushing past the status quo with optimism and imagination to drive meaningful improvements.
Empowering all: Recognizing that access to quality healthcare shouldn't be a privilege reserved for the educated or financially advantaged, Collective Health is committed to increasing healthcare access. By infusing transparency, innovation, and clarity into the system, they're making healthcare better for everyone, with a particular focus on those previously disaffected by difficulties navigating the system.
As I transition from a supportive cheerleader to an active board member, I'm acutely aware of the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead. The healthcare system is rapidly evolving, with the introduction of AI, changing regulations, and shifting consumer expectations.
I'm committed to supporting Collective Health's mission to make health insurance work better for everyone. This work is important, especially right now, because it has the potential to reshape a significant portion of our healthcare system. By improving how health benefits are delivered and utilized, we can drive better health outcomes, reduce costs, and improve the overall healthcare experience for millions of Americans. We can work towards a future where accessing and paying for healthcare is simple, intuitive, and feels good – just as Ali envisioned when he started this journey.
I'm honored to play a small part in this important work and excited to contribute to Collective Health's continued growth and impact. Here's to a healthier, more transparent healthcare future!