As other technology-enabled, start-up insurers eye service area expansions to aid in membership growth next year, Zing Health is planning to acquire Lasso Healthcare Insurance Co., a Harrisburg, Pa.-based provider of Medicare Medical Savings Accounts (MSAs) that serves 34 states and Washington, D.C. Zing, which launched in 2019, said the move will give it a “national footprint to reach diverse communities with innovative Medicare Advantage Health plans that lower the cost of high-quality care.”
Zing Health is the third company to spin out of Health2047, Inc., which was founded in 2016 as the health care innovation arm of the American Medical Association (AMA). AIS Health, a division of MMIT, spoke with Zing Health Founder and CEO Eric Whitaker, M.D., about the planned acquisition and the company’s continued focus on reaching underserved communities. As the founder of Chicago-based health care investment firm TWG Partners, Whitaker helped establish local Medicaid managed care organization NextLevel Health, which was picked up by Centene Corp. in 2020, and previously launched Medicare Prescription Drug Plan Symphonix Health, which was acquired by UnitedHealth Group in 2016.
