Healthcare benefits. Simple words that cover a sprawling, intricate mess of information most can’t untangle. That it’s bafflingly difficult to understand even the basics, such as what’s covered and at what cost, reflects an industry tangled in opacity. A survey by Healthcare.com puts it plainly: more than half of insured Americans don’t understand essential terms like “premium,” “deductible,” or “out-of-pocket maximum” (Healthcare). There’s an overwhelming confusion, and a lack of transparency that costs Americans and employers dearly each year, with premiums rising at twice the rate of inflation and healthcare becoming the second-largest expense for many employers after salaries.
Into this challenge steps Healthee, a company aiming to transform healthcare benefits from a foggy enigma into something accessible. They saw a system broken on two fronts: users unclear on their coverage, and employers paying heavily for benefits their workforce hardly understood, let alone optimized. Omer Maman, Vice President of Marketing at Healthee, has a blunt vision of the space:
“Healthcare isn’t like picking up groceries where you compare prices and make an easy choice. It’s layered with both medical and insurance education, two worlds most people aren’t equipped to navigate alone.”
Maman’s journey to Healthee stemmed from personal frustration. A once “simple” healthcare query turned into hours spent deciphering coverage, tracking down doctors, and clarifying confusing charges. Those hours bloomed into an obsession with creating a tool that could bridge the gap between everyday users and the complexities of their healthcare benefits. He partnered with Guy Benjamin and Ben Nagar, who had formed Healthee to leverage artificial intelligence and make benefits both accessible and usable, answering each question as quickly and directly as if you were ordering an Uber. “Imagine Amazon without prices, where you don’t know the cost until it arrives at your door,” Maman reflects. “That’s healthcare in America.”
The problem lies in the opacity of healthcare costs and benefits. Healthee’s answer is straightforward: an AI-powered assistant named Zoe that operates as an all-in-one navigation tool. Need to know if a treatment’s covered? Zoe has that answer. Not sure where your coverage extends? Zoe’s ready. “Just because you’re given healthcare benefits doesn’t mean you know how to access or use them efficiently,” Maman states. In effect, Healthee brings the transparency people expect from Amazon or Uber into healthcare, streamlining benefits so users can see what they’re getting, where they’re covered, and how much it costs. This tool is especially critical in a market where a recent McKinsey study found 45% of consumers dissatisfied with their ability to determine even basic service costs (McKinsey).
For employers, Healthee’s solution might be a breath of fresh air. Rising healthcare costs have hit employers hard, especially as costs rise by double-digit percentages year over year. Maman hears it directly from employers who face these hikes and, in turn, see employees just as frustrated. “Every time employees don’t understand what they’re covered for, frustration builds on both sides, employers pay more, employees feel they’re getting less,” Maman says.
An additional problem Healthee addresses is the confidential nature of some healthcare inquiries. Sensitive issues like mental health or family planning often leave employees hesitant to consult HR, fearing disclosure of their personal plans. “If I’m having an anxiety attack, I don’t want to explain it to my employer. That’s my business, not theirs,” Maman asserts. Here, Healthee’s approach of anonymous queries through Zoe becomes invaluable. Employees find answers on their terms, without the watchful eyes of HR. It’s a trust builder and a privacy protector, one that fits a world increasingly attuned to personal privacy.
As healthcare costs continue their upward climb, the need for a product like Healthee could become undeniable. Employers facing these rising expenses may find a necessary ally in Healthee, which offers more than just clarity but actively helps users select the most cost-effective services. “Every unnecessary claim or uninformed decision drives up costs for employers, and it’s time for a smarter approach,” Maman asserts. Healthee aims to steer users toward more affordable options, benefitting both employer and employee alike.
Healthcare benefits will continue to evolve, driven in part by new demands for transparency and autonomy. Price transparency efforts by regulatory bodies like the CMS are a step, requiring hospitals to disclose costs for services. Yet Healthee goes further, providing a practical tool that translates this data into real, actionable knowledge. When asked what he envisions for the future of healthcare benefits, Maman points to a world where consumers know their coverage as intimately as they know their own budgets, a future where health benefits are as easy to use as any online marketplace.
For those who have grappled with healthcare bureaucracy, Healthee’s promise might seem too ambitious. But if there’s one lesson in modern consumerism, it’s that industries can change rapidly when someone finds a better way. Healthee is banking on this, on the expectation that people are ready to demand transparency in health just as they have in every other sector. “People today are used to getting answers instantly, why should healthcare be any different?”
