Insurance Questions? We Have Straight Answers.
Insurance is confusing — and that's by design. We're changing that. Here are honest, plain-English answers to the questions our clients ask most.
Asked by founders,
answered by experts.
Vote up the questions you want answered. We update these every quarter based on what founders ask most.
Almost always yes. ACA premium tax credits are based on your projected Modified Adjusted Gross Income (MAGI). If you're paying yourself nothing or a small founder draw, you'll usually qualify for substantial subsidies — many pre-seed founders land at $0–$80/mo. Your advisor will run the subsidy math before you enroll.
The moment you hire your first W-2 employee, Group SHOP becomes available. For most teams of 2–10, the math favors SHOP because the employer contribution is tax-deductible and pre-tax for employees. We'll model both paths side-by-side before you switch.
An HDHP + HSA combo is one of the strongest tax wedges available to founders. Contributions are pre-tax (or deductible if 1099), the balance grows tax-free, and qualified medical withdrawals are tax-free. Founders with low current income but expected upside especially benefit from front-loading HSA contributions early.
Yes, if your co-founder is a W-2 employee of the company. If both founders are equity-only with no W-2, you'll each enroll in individual ACA. Once one of you is on payroll, you unlock Group SHOP for both.
Every ACA-compliant plan we shop includes mental health and substance-use coverage as essential health benefits — therapy, psychiatry, telehealth, and prescriptions. We surface networks with strong virtual mental health options like Talkspace, BetterHelp partnerships, and modern carriers like Oscar.
On Group SHOP you can offer family coverage and decide how much the company contributes vs. the employee. Most early-stage teams contribute 50–100% of employee premium and 0–50% of dependent premium — we'll help you set a competitive baseline that fits your burn.
Equity-only founders typically use individual ACA plans (often subsidy-eligible if total household income is low) or are added to a spouse's plan. Once the company raises and starts paying salaries, you can roll onto the company's Group SHOP plan.
Yes — many of our founders come through YC, Techstars, On Deck, and accelerator networks. We're familiar with the funding-pause coverage gaps that hit between cohorts, demo day, and term sheet close, and we time enrollments around them.