Hive Health, a digital health insurance startup founded at Harvard and Stanford Universities in 2021, has made a significant leap forward in transforming healthcare access for Filipinos with its acquisition of Health Plan Philippines, Inc. (HPPI), one of the pioneering Health Maintenance Organization (HMO) service providers in the country.
"We have just begun the
hard work of making healthcare radically more accessible. The goal is for all
Filipinos to feel secure that their health is taken care of, and to give
employers a sustainable way to take part in making that happen," stated Camille Ang, Co-Founder and CEO of Hive Health. “Hive Health’s journey to date, especially
with the acquisition of HPPI, marks a significant milestone, not just for our
company but also for the Philippine startup landscape. It underscores the
potential of startups like Hive Health to shrink the change and make an impact
on intractable problems.”
With this strategic initiative,
Hive Health will be able to share its technology and data-driven innovations
with HPPI’s existing members. Moreover, it will be able to integrate HPPI’s
nationwide provider network and institutional knowledge built across 37 years
with its core capabilities to further redefine the patient experience across
virtual and in-person care.
“Hive Health has been a valued
partner of HPPI given our shared missions. I have seen how the team is able to
deliver changes to improve the patient experience much faster than I would have
expected, and how they genuinely care about making healthcare accessible to
more Filipinos. We are excited for the journey ahead as Hive Health and HPPI
join forces," shared Natasha Reyes, CEO of HPPI.
Hive Health, as a full-stack
digital health insurer, offers hassle-free, comprehensive HMO health plans for
SMEs and startups, encompassing outpatient, inpatient, emergency, and dental
care through an extensive nationwide network of 1,700 hospitals and clinics,
and over 60,000 doctors across the country.
“We started Hive Health with the mission to
make healthcare more accessible in the Philippines and in many other developing
countries where social safety nets are capped. Our goal is to leverage tech and
data to make quality healthcare more affordable and easier to use, especially
for the underserved
SME segment,” said Jiawen Tang, President and
Co-Founder of Hive Health.
Hive Health's digital platform
empowers patients to manage their own care and their dependents' care
effortlessly—enabling tasks such as requesting letters of approval within
minutes to allow patients to skip the long lines in hospitals, viewing plan benefits,
finding nearby providers, scheduling annual physical exams, and accessing
medical records — all from their phone or computer. Additionally, members enjoy
fast out-of-network reimbursements within 3-5 days and exclusive wellness
perks.
“We’re also proud of our
one-of-a-kind vertically integrated telehealth and care coordination model that
bridges virtual and in-person care. Patients can book on-demand video
teleconsultations with our team of Hive doctors, who use our in-house electronic
medical records system to enable patients to get more accurate diagnoses and
access the right care whenever they need it,” Tang
explained.
The company is also dedicated to
promoting inclusivity for minorities such as LGBTQIA+ and domestic partners
while offering essential benefits like mental health, medicine, preventive
care, and maternity care.
Furthermore, for small business
owners and HR managers who have limited bandwidth to go through cumbersome
paperwork, Hive Health’s HR dashboard simplifies onboarding and offboarding,
streamlines invoicing, and empowers business owners and HR to encourage
employee engagement and wellness.
Challenging journey ignites
healthcare revolution
Born
from personal experiences and the challenges brought about by the COVID-19
pandemic, Hive Health's founders, Ang and Tang, were motivated to address the
gaps in healthcare accessibility and affordability in the Philippines. In
particular, the limited coverage and frustrating processes of existing health
plans inspired the duo to pioneer transformative changes in the healthcare
landscape.
During
the pandemic, both Ang and Tang were simultaneously pursuing dual MBA and MPA
in International Development degrees at Harvard and Stanford.
“We learned that over 1.5M
Filipinos are forced into poverty each year due to health shocks, while a
surprising <10% of the population have access to health plans beyond
PhilHealth. For those that are lucky to have an employer-sponsored health plan,
the average out-of-pocket spend is at 56%, and Filipinos find it quite
difficult to use one’s health plan,” shared Ang, who
grew up in the Philippines.
Having
earned accolades from esteemed institutions like Harvard, Stanford, and MIT, including the grand prize at the Harvard New Venture Competition that propelled
Grab's launch in 2011, and gaining support from leading global venture capital
firms including YCombinator, the premier tech accelerator in Silicon Valley,
the duo embarked on bringing their thesis coupled with personal challenges into
action in 2021.
Hive’s impact is already being
felt by SMEs across the country. InvestEd CEO Carmina Bayombong notes how Hive
Health’s patient-first approach is truly differentiated. “Our employees are super happy. They tell me that they never want to go
back to these brick and mortar HMOs. I myself experienced this—I first tried to
line up for a Letter of Authorization (LOA) in the hospital but decided to test
Hive’s in-app LOA feature while in line. I was so shocked that it came even
before it was my turn in line, while other HMOs take 3 days. I ended up saving
both time and money.”
With
a steadfast commitment to making quality healthcare accessible to all, Hive
Health is on a mission to ensure that all Filipino employees receive the best
possible care, starting with their groundbreaking health plans.
-------------------------------
ABOUT
HIVE HEALTH
Hive
Health is a digital
health platform that offers hassle-free HMO plans tailor-made for small-medium
enterprises (SMEs) in the Philippines.
For business owners and HR professionals who want to
provide the best for their team, Hive Health provides a hassle-free experience
through our all-in-one digital platform. With inclusive dependent policies and
comprehensive benefits typically not offered to smaller teams, such as mental
health sessions, maternity care, and medicine coverage, we ensure that all
employees and their loved ones get the best care possible.
Founded at Harvard and Stanford and backed by top
global investors such as Y Combinator, Beenext, and Gentree Fund, this
award-winning startup is revolutionizing access to quality, affordable
healthcare for millions of Filipinos, one SME at a time.
To learn more, visit our website: ourhivehealth.com
_______________________
ABOUT
THE FOUNDERS
Camille
Ang, CEO and Co-Founder
Camille Ang is the CEO and Co-Founder at Hive Health.
Prior to Hive Health, she has worked across various roles in public-private
partnership (PPP). As a Private Equity Executive at Macquarie, the world’s
largest infrastructure fund manager with ~$US$573 billion assets under
management, she has managed large global and local insurance funds, and played
critical roles in the acquisition and management of companies in the
Philippines and across South East Asia.
She has also extensively worked on PPP policies and
projects with the government of the Philippines, McKinsey & Company, and
the Rwandan Development Board. During her stint with the Philippine
Department of Transportation and Communications, she
led pioneering PPP deals for the government including the Mactan-Cebu
International Airport - the 1st airport PPP in the Philippines which
received international awards. In
addition, Camille has worked in the technology space in Africa, particularly
through Knife Capital, a leading venture capital firm in South Africa.
Camille has an MBA from Harvard Business School and an
MPA-International Development from the Harvard Kennedy School. She graduated
from Ateneo de Manila University with a B.S. in Management Engineering.
Jiawen
Tang, President and Co-Founder
Jiawen Tang is the President and Co-Founder at Hive Health. Prior to Hive Health,
she led data science and digital development initiatives with the IMF, World
Bank, and UN, and spearheaded economic development projects with TechnoServe
Swaziland, a global nonprofit that takes a business approach to reduce poverty.
Previously, as an Engagement Manager at Oliver Wyman based in New York, she led
transformational strategy & operations projects across consumer, financial
services and eCommerce, including developing the go-to-market payments product
strategy for a global marketplace player with multi-billion dollar revenue
impact. In partnership with the IMF, she is a published co-author of
first-of-its-kind research on real-time macro forecasts of economic activity in
Africa for COVID-19 using machine learning techniques & innovative
open-source data.
Jiawen has an MBA from Stanford Graduate School of
Business and an MPA-International Development from the Harvard Kennedy School.
She graduated summa cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa from Columbia University with a
B.A. in Economics-Political Science.
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