Expressable, a speech therapy provider, has joined Amazon’s Health Benefits Connector, the company announced last week.
The Health Benefits Connector helps match Amazon customers to digital health solutions covered by employers. The company verifies whether the consumer’s insurance plan or employer benefits cover the digital health program based on information like their legal name, date of birth, email, employer name and insurance carrier.
Expressable is the Health Benefits Connector’s first speech therapy provider. The company treats early language development, speech and language disorders, stuttering, apraxia, aphasia, voice disorders, communication related to autism and more.
With Expressable, each patient gets matched with a licensed speech therapist for one-on-one virtual sessions. The provider also works with parents and caregivers by giving them personalized home programs and practice activities between sessions. Appointments with speech therapists are available after school, in the evenings and on weekends so patients can make sessions work on their schedule.
“Effective speech and language skills are foundational to healthy childhood development,” said John Singerling, head of strategic growth and network development for Amazon Health Services, in a statement. “Our Health Benefits Connector is designed to help customers find and use quality health services that may be covered by their insurer, and we’re excited our customers can now access Expressable’s clinical expertise and innovative speech therapy platform.”
Working with the Health Benefits Connector allows Expressable to reach more patients, according to Spencer Magloff, co-founder and chief marketing officer of Expressable.
“Discoverability is at the heart of this collaboration, and joining Amazon’s Health Benefits Connector helps families more easily navigate their care options,” Magloff said. “Many families don’t know if speech therapy is covered by their insurance or how to access quality care that fits their lifestyle. Through the Health Benefits Connector, more families will be able to easily check their coverage and connect with Expressable’s evidence-based speech therapy services, removing a key barrier to access.”
Currently, about 1 in 14 children in the U.S. has a speech, language or voice disorder, but 40% don’t receive support. The collaboration with Amazon allows more families to access Expressable’s care from home.
“The goal of this collaboration ties directly into our company’s overall mission: to remove the financial, geographical, logistical barriers that prevent so many families from accessing the speech therapy care they need,” Magloff said. “Amazon’s Health Benefits Connector helps us meet families where they likely already are and improve access for more patients.”
Photo: Nataliia Nesterenko, Getty Images
