He moved to New York to be an investment banker, but wound up making waves as a hair colorist. His work has been featured on CNBC and in New York Magazine (his highlights made their Best of New York list), and his quotes and clients regularly make the pages and reels of many other outlets. Meet Jeffrey, colorist at John Sahag and Oscar member since January 2014.
Tell us a little about your insurance situation before Oscar.
Because of the way stylists are contracted, people in my business generally don’t get their insurance through work. Either it’s not offered, or the structure can be tricky. Given this, I’ve always shopped for insurance on my own. Until the exchanges, that was an ordeal unto itself.
How did you first discover Oscar?
I found Oscar through the exchange website. I was looking for a plan that wasn’t crazy expensive, but I was also really intent on quality. Once I’d narrowed down my options, I started looking up the different companies to see what people were saying online. With Oscar, there was a huge number of good reviews. So many, I began reading up on the business. I quickly came across an article about how tech-friendly it was. The things Oscar was doing really seemed to speak to my generation. Believe it or not, it wasn’t until the day after I signed up that I started noticing all the subway ads.
What were some of your first impressions?
I liked how quick to adapt Oscar was. It was like they’d gone in with an attitude of embracing technology and proactively making change happen that way, rather than waiting until change comes to them.
Have you had a chance to see some of that tech in action?
Yes! A while back, I got really sick. At first I tried to wait it out. But when my fever shot up to 101.5, I realized that I wasn’t going to fix things on my own. By then, it was tough to schedule a doctor’s appointment as fast as I needed it. Plus, even though my physician was in my neighborhood, the walk and wait seemed a little touch-and-go with my fever. So I tried Oscar’s Doctor on Call. I literally pushed a button and put in my number, and a doctor called me three minutes later. After I told her my symptoms, she said it sounded like I had a particular bug that had been going around. I’d already linked my pharmacy through the app, so she just put in a prescription for an antibiotic and my pharmacy delivered it that day. Thirty minutes from the time I pushed that first button, I had the medicine in my hands.
What do you do to stay healthy? And are you using Oscar in any way for that?
I’ve started using the Misfit to track my steps. It’s turned into more than a few Amazon gift cards. To stay motivated, I’ve decided that I get to use those cards only for things I want, but would never buy. Now, once a month I get a new vinyl record from some embarrassing ‘90s band I love. All because of how far I walked.