Solving the problem that I'm most passionate about-Building Plum!

Rewind to 2009, and my father was diagnosed with COPD (a lung condition), and my mother has had diabetes since I can remember. When I first started my job in 2012, I enrolled both of my parents in the corporate health plan, which back then covered all pre-existing conditions. As the weather changes and winter approaches, farmers begin to burn stubble, which is the worst time for you if you already have a lung condition, and Delhi's pollution exacerbates the problem.

My father needed to be admitted to the hospital around the same time. His condition worsened and was transferred to the MICU. Nine days later, in addition to coping with my father's challenging condition, I faced the agony of battling with my health insurance company, which refused to pay the enormous hospital bill due to miscommunication between how I interpreted the policy and how they read it. After nine hours of long phone calls with customer care, my HR and my reporting manager I decided to settle the bill in cash because I was tired of dealing with the system. In the end, you really can't win against these companies or hospitals.

Fast forward to 2021, and nothing has changed in almost a decade. No one was challenging the status quo, no one was asking the hard questions:

• Why we don't have a transparent healthcare system?
• Why have insurance rates and deductibles soared in recent years in comparison to the actual cost of healthcare?
• When I went to the accounts office of any hospital to collect a bill, I was again reminded on my face: "This is not a final bill."
• Why hasn't anyone taken full advantage of technology to streamline how businesses communicate health-plan advantages to their employees?

The more I think about it, the more convinced I am that healthcare must be far superior to what it is now. I'm ecstatic to be joining the Plum team to help lead efforts toward a value-based healthcare system through partnerships.

My conversations with Abhishek, Saurabh, and Debankur clarified what they are attempting to achieve: is not just another healthcare app or tool, but a comprehensive solution that addresses several touchpoints across the healthcare process, from buying to onboarding and to claims. On that note, I am fortunate to have a talented, all-around team working with me to tackle this difficult problem from all angles. As a team, we are dedicated to delivering a customer experience, that treats each person we serve with a passion and commitment that we would expect for ourselves.

No one should have to fight for such a basic right "healthcare". We believe that access to healthcare and paying for it should be straightforward, transparent, and hassle-free.

Once again, Thank you for the Opportunity - Abhishek & Saurabh!!

I welcome your feedback.