Through the Benefits Store for Individuals, eligible individuals can find information on Gusto’s partner Stride. Stride helps individuals paid through Gusto find the right Affordable Care Act-compliant individual and family health insurance plan for their particular needs and makes it simple to apply—usually in about 10 minutes.
Stride is an approved partner of HealthCare.gov, so individuals will have access to all the same individual and family health insurance plans that they’d find on government health sites along with simple-to-use tools to compare different plans, learn about their options, and get help from Stride’s licensed humans to help them get covered and put their plan to use.
What’s the difference between employer-sponsored and individual/family health insurance?
Employer-sponsored health insurance is provided by your employer. In most cases it's a more cost-friendly option than individual and family insurance due to most employers contributing towards all or part of the premium, and is typically paid for with pre-taxed dollars. If your employer offers benefits or plans, we recommend applying through them instead of going with individual and family health insurance. It’s important to consider all the plans available to make an educated decision for your budget.
Individual and family health insurance is purchased by an individual for their own or their family’s coverage, entirely paid for by the individual after any eligible tax credits are applied, and premiums payments are not usually eligible for pre-tax deductions.
How much does Stride cost?
Using Stride to view and shop for individual and family insurance plans is free. If an employee or contractor decides to sign up with a carrier, they’ll be billed directly by the carrier for the cost of the plan.
Though insurance may seem expensive, there are savings that may help lower the premium payment. Employees or contractors might qualify for savings through tax credits that discount the cost of coverage based on factors like age, income, and where someone lives. Gusto automatically estimates tax credits for employees and contractors so Stride can help them find the right plan.
How much do plans typically cost?
Prices vary based on a number of factors, including your plan’s coverage level (Bronze, Silver, Gold), your income, and how many dependents you want to apply for. For more information, please contact Stride.
What do these health insurance plans cover?
Every health plan on Stride is considered a major medical insurance plan. That means every plan covers all the minimum essential benefit standards of the Affordable Care Act. This includes hospital stays, prescription drugs, surgeries, and emergency care. No plan can deny coverage for pre-existing conditions, and there are no lifetime maximum limitations for patients.
Is dental or vision coverage included?
Most health insurance plans do not include adult dental or vision coverage. If you need a dental or vision plan, Stride offers custom dental and vision plans that can be added on separately.
Can I submit applications for spouses and dependents too?
Yes, you can cover your entire family through Stride. You can submit applications for each family member for only the coverage they need, whether it’s health, dental, vision, or all three.
How do I know if I qualify for a government program or tax credits? What do Gusto and Stride do with my savings estimate?
To determine your tax credit, the government looks at several factors:
Neither Stride nor Gusto save or collect any of the information you enter when receiving a tax credit estimate.
What impact do the reported tax credit savings have on my taxes?
For many people, there’s a good chance you won’t perfectly estimate your annual income on your application.
But don’t worry—you can sort this out at tax time. We recommend you contact Stride for implications on your tax credits.
How does this compare to Medicaid? What if I’d like to apply for Medicaid instead?
If you’re enrolled in Medicaid, consider keeping your existing coverage, as you’ll save the most money on healthcare through Medicaid.
If you’re not currently on Medicaid, the See how much I can save button (you can access it by following the steps below under "See quotes" section below) can tell you if you’re eligible and provide you with the correct state health exchange information where you can apply and enroll in coverage.
What’s the difference between employer-sponsored and individual and family health insurance?
Employer-sponsored health insurance is provided by your employer, often cheaper than individual/family insurance due to your employer paying for all or part of the premium, applied to payroll as a pre-tax deduction, and typically has better coverage. If your employer offers benefits or plans to, we recommend applying through them instead of going with individual health insurance.
Individual health insurance is purchased by an individual for their own or their family’s coverage, entirely paid for by the individual after any eligible tax credits are applied, and not eligible for pre-tax deductions.
What benefit does Stride provide to my employees?
If you do not offer employer-sponsored health insurance, Stride can help your employees find the right individual and family health insurance plan for their particular needs and makes it simple to apply. They’ll also help your employees find any tax credits that they may be eligible for to discount the cost of their coverage and assess if they’re eligible for Medicaid.
However, we generally recommend offering employer-sponsored health insurance to your employees for the following reasons:
Go to the Benefits section of your Gusto admin account if you’d like to offer employer-sponsored health insurance through Gusto.
Will this cost me or my employees anything?
No, it does not cost you or your employees anything to estimate their potential savings or shop for plans.
The only cost would be paid by your employees directly to their insurance carriers if they enroll in coverage.
Can my contractors use Stride as well?
Yes! Contractors can follow the same steps as employees to start shopping for plans from the Benefits section of the Gusto account.
Does this impact my ability to provider employer-sponsored health insurance?
Not at all. Once you start the process of applying for employer-sponsored health insurance, Stride will no longer be shown to your employees. Go to the Benefits section of your Gusto admin account if you’d like to offer employer-sponsored health insurance through Gusto.
What’s the difference between Stride and HealthCare.gov or other state marketplaces?
Stride is an official partner of HealthCare.gov, which means they offer all the same plans at the same prices as HealthCare.gov and the state marketplaces. Unlike HealthCare.gov, they also offer select private plans that can’t be purchased from the marketplace.
Stride searches all available plans and recommends the best one for your employees and contractors based on their medical and financial needs. They’ll also help your employees and contractors unlock savings to get the lowest price possible on their insurance plans. Stride also offers one-on-one, unbiased support before, during, and after enrollment to help your employees and contractors make the most of their plans.
Is Stride an insurance company?
No, Stride is an insurance broker, which means that they help consumers search for coverage and sell policies from insurance companies for a commission. Their commission has no impact on the amount of the insurance premiums paid by the consumer.
Eligibility for individual insurance is based on two factors: meeting demographic requirements and timing.
Who can apply
You must meet these three demographic requirements:
When you can apply
If you meet the demographic requirements, you can apply during either of these times:
Click a section below for steps to learn more about available plans, estimate your eligibility for a premium tax credit, and apply for coverage.
Follow these steps to shop for plans from your web browser.
If you have the Gusto Wallet mobile app, you can apply for coverage from your device:
When enrolling through Stride’s website, you’ll be asked to estimate your income. This is used to calculate your premium tax credit eligibility.
If you overestimate your income, your premium tax credit will be smaller than the amount you qualify for. But don't worry, you can get this money back as a tax refund at the end of the year.
If you underestimate your income, you might have to pay the government back for part of your premium tax credit when you file taxes.
If you enrolled in individual or family coverage through Stride but your employer is offering small-group coverage, we recommend you consider switching to your employer's plans. Some advantages for plans offered through your employer:
Being offered health insurance through your employer is generally considered a Qualifying Life Event for the purposes of enrolling in employer-sponsored insurance and un-enrolling in individual and family insurance. Please work directly with Stride if you need to cancel coverage.
Reach out to your employer if you are unsure about your enrollment options.
Here’s how to reach Stride:
Reach out to Stride for all questions about your enrollment and more:
Email [email protected] for help if: