These Founders are on a Mission to Transform Health Insurance Their company, Gravie, is on a mission to drastically improve health benefits for businesses and their employees.

When you think of health insurance, what comes to mind? Outrageous out-of-pocket costs for limited coverage? The pain of open enrollment? The hassle of dealing with claims? Customer service that leaves you feeling worse than when you called?

As healthcare costs continue to rise for employers and employees with no end in sight, health insurance remains a source of confusion and frustration for everyone. The complexities of healthcare – and particularly insurance – confound people who simply don't understand the costs, the confusing plan structure, or why they consistently get the runaround.

It's because of all this that serial entrepreneurs Abir Sen and Marek Ciolko set out to develop an innovative solution that would change health care forever. They founded Gravie, a health benefits company on a mission to improve the healthcare industry from the bottom up, focused on the consumer first.

Through innovative plan design and underwriting, Gravie has designed a health plan that provides value for every member from day one. Gravie created Comfort™, a health plan that the company says provides 100 percent coverage on most common healthcare services including preventive care, primary care, mental health visits, specialist visits, labs and imaging, generic prescriptions, online care, and more. There are no deductibles and, often, no copays.

Gravie also created Gravie Pay, a pay-over-time option members can use to pay for medical expenses that are subject to their out-of-pocket responsibility.

Gravie essentially does away with complicated plan designs, unnecessary jargon, and financial barriers that stand between individuals and their ability to engage with the healthcare system in a more productive way.

"When we launched Gravie in 2013, we did so because we knew there had to be a better way to offer health benefits," Sen says. "Employers, individuals and brokers have embraced Gravie's approach, and our continued growth and momentum is thanks to those we serve and our team of dedicated innovators."

A longtime passion for innovation.

Sen and Ciolko are dedicated to rebuilding health insurance with deep experience in the industry, having started and led innovative healthcare companies during their careers. Prior to Gravie, the duo co-founded Bloom Health, where they pioneered the private exchange model of financing health benefits.

Before that, Sen co-founded a wellness tech company called RedBrick Health, where Ciolko served as the director of operations. Before founding RedBrick, Abir co-founded Definity Health, a health benefits company that sold to UnitedHealth Group Inc. in 2004.

Like Bloom, RedBrick, and Definity, Gravie was founded on the basis that the healthcare industry should be driven by the needs of the consumer.

"People tell us all the time that being able to take care of their health in a way that doesn't push them to the brink of bankruptcy has been life-changing," says Ciolko.

Creating a better option for employers, too.

Employees are good at sniffing out benefits that just check the box versus ones that empower them to pursue better health, rather than deter them. Workers expect more from their employers – more flexibility, services that go the extra mile, diverse and holistic health solutions that take into account things like mental health, and benefits that are easy to understand and fit into individuals' modern lifestyles.

Sen and Ciolko understand this, and that employers that offer health benefits with better value and a delightful customer experience can recruit and retain top talent more easily. That's why Gravie is focused on making health benefits easier, more affordable, and more useful to employees and their employers.

"Our team is tirelessly innovating and challenging the status quo because there is so much room for improvement at every stage of the health benefits experience, whether for the individual member on a plan or for the employer or broker," says Ciolko. "We're driven by a desire to make healthcare better for everyone involved."

Click here to learn more about Gravie and find out why the Comfort health plan might be right for your business.