KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Feb. 6, 2018 –
MedZERO Inc. has launched a medical payment platform that provides employees access to zero-interest, zero-fee advances to cover out-of-pocket health care expenses. MedZERO is a voluntary employee benefit that provides immediate mobile access to funds to pay for medical costs via an electronic Mastercard®. The advances are repaid over 12 months, with zero interest, through payroll deductions.
“Faced with steadily increasing health care costs, many employers are resorting to high-deductible health plans to keep premiums in check,” said Michael Sobek, co-founder and CEO of medZERO and founder of a medZERO investor, Mobile Capital Group. “While high-deductible insurance plans lower monthly costs for both employers and employees, when illness or injury strikes, employees don’t always have the savings needed to meet out-of-pocket expenses – which forces them to turn to credit cards or loans from their retirement funds, or worse, forgo medical treatments and care. MedZERO offers a much-needed financing alternative that is free to both employers and employees.”
Participation in the medZERO program requires minimal employer administration, and electronic enrollment is fast and easy. Once an employer has joined the program, the company’s employees can download the medZERO app and simply sign up. After agreeing to the program terms, they can see their credit availability – which ranges from $250 to $5,000, depending on factors such as salary and length of employment, but is not tied to credit score – and request an advance. A virtual Mastercard® is issued immediately and can be used to pay for medical expenses incurred at hospitals and other providers in the medZERO network.
This new financial health care benefit is launching with employers and providers in Salt Lake City and will be rolled out in additional markets later in 2018, including Seattle and Kansas City.
MedZERO was funded in part via a joint venture between its founders, Mobile Capital Group and Sortis Holdings Inc. and will use the Sortis Financial platform to originate and service loans.
“MedZERO is an innovative solution to a growing problem,” said Paul Brenneke, executive chairman of Sortis Holdings. “The program offers peace of mind to individuals who would otherwise struggle to afford the high out-of-pocket costs associated with many health plans today. Our technology is highly scalable and designed to support millions of users, and we predict medZERO will bring significant disruption to the health care payments market.”
ABOUT MEDZERO INC.
MedZERO Inc. offers a mobile lending platform that provides instant zero-interest, zero-fee loans to employees facing out-of-pocket health care costs. This voluntary employee benefit provides immediate mobile access to funds to pay for medical costs via an electronic Mastercard®. The zero-interest loans are repaid over 12 months directly from payroll. MedZERO’s founders and investors include Mobile Capital Group and Sortis Holdings Inc. For more information, visit www.medZERO.com.