Delivering for California Shoppers: Healthcare Subsidy

With the recent passing of Proposition 22 in California, we’re introducing a number of new features and offerings for California shoppers. Over the next few weeks, we’ll be sharing more information about what California shoppers can expect when these updates start rolling out later this year.

Connecting shoppers to reliable, convenient, and affordable healthcare options furthers the wellbeing of our community and builds on our commitment to support shoppers. Through partnerships like Stride and free telemedicine with Doctor on Demand, we want to make sure that shoppers can get the care they need in a way that works for them. With the passing of Proposition 22 in California, we’re excited to also offer eligible California shoppers a healthcare subsidy to make health insurance even more affordable.

The healthcare subsidy payment will be available on a quarterly basis for shoppers who average more than 15 hours per week on the platform. If you shop an average of 15 hours per week or more, you’ll get an email notifying you that you’re eligible for the subsidy payment. You’ll be asked to share proof of your current healthcare enrollment, and Instacart will give you a payment to help cover the cost.

Please note, Instacart does not provide health insurance or partner directly with any companies offering health insurance. If you need a health insurance plan, we recommend visiting Stride to see what’s available.

Earning and claiming your healthcare subsidy

Each quarter, you can keep track of your progress towards the healthcare subsidy directly from the Shopper app. To view your progress, you can visit the Healthcare Subsidy page located in the profile section of the navigation bar.

At the beginning of each quarter, we’ll look back at your average hours shopped and send you an email if you’re eligible for that quarter’s subsidy. Quarters will begin on the first day of January, April, July, and October each year, and you can expect to receive an email within the first two weeks of the month if eligible. Not all eligible shoppers will receive an email on the same day — if you believe you are eligible for the subsidy and you haven’t received an email by the 15th of the month, feel free to reach out to the Care team in the Shopper app.

After you receive your eligibility email, you’ll have 15 days to respond with proof of healthcare enrollment. Once approved, your subsidy will be deposited along with your weekly earnings.

If you shop between 15 and 25 hours per week on average, you’ll be eligible for 50% of the average contribution per the Affordable Care Act. If you average 25 hours or more, you’ll be eligible for 100%.

To receive the subsidy, you must be the subscriber of an eligible healthcare plan, such as one provided through Covered California, and you’ll need to provide a verifying document such as your health insurance card, IRS form 1095, or COBRA document. Employer-sponsored healthcare plans, Medicare, and Medicaid aren’t eligible for the subsidy.

As a quick reminder, it’s currently Open Enrollment Period in California, which is the one time of year when you can sign up for health insurance. If you need a health insurance plan, feel free to visit our partner Stride to sign up.

As always, we want to hear your feedback. Please feel free to reach out in the California Shoppers group in Shop Talk with any questions.

Thanks for being a member of the shopper community.

Instacart

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Instacart is the leading grocery technology company in North America, partnering with more than 1,500 national, regional, and local retail banners to deliver from more than 85,000 stores across more than 14,000 cities in North America. To read more Instacart posts, you can browse the company blog or search by keyword using the search bar at the top of the page.