The California government recently passed Proposition 22, which changes the landscape of delivery driver companies like Uber, Lyft, DoorDash, and Postmates.
You can learn all about the new policies and what it means for dashers here.
Table Of Contents
Does DoorDash Offer Health Insurance?
DoorDash has a partnership with Stride where they offer health insurance to its dashers! This insurance offering is fairly new to the company.
It has been added to adhere to the new policies set out in the Prop 22 Healthcare Stipend.
What is the Prop 22 Healthcare Stipend?
The Prop 22 Healthcare stipend is a new policy where rideshare and delivery apps can pay a portion of their delivery workers’ health insurance premiums.
The amount depends on the company and the number of hours a worker was actively on the job.
The stipend occurs monthly for all drivers that qualify.
The stipend should equal roughly 82% of the average monthly insurance premium in California.
What Is the Purpose of Proposition 22?
Prop 22 was enacted by the California government to protect these kinds of delivery workers, especially in San Francisco.
Today, many individuals survive solely off the money they make being an independent contractor for apps like DoorDash, Uber, Lyft, Postmates, and more.
An independent contractor is not typically offered health insurance through their contracted employer.
But because of the vast number of Californians that have made this their full-time job, the government saw it worthwhile to implement health insurance requirements.
Due to strong lobbying efforts on both sides, the proposition passed with specific outlines for what the app companies must offer.
But a delivery driver is still an independent contractor and not a full-time employee.
Where is it Available?
Currently, Proposition 22 is only available to a DoorDash driver or other independent app worker in California.
There is an excess of rideshare drivers and delivery drivers in this state.
A large number of drivers put pressure on the government to offer them new protections, as the independent drivers make up a decent percentage of the California workforce.
Will It Be Available in the Other States?
While the monthly stipend is only available in California currently, the Stride Health service and partnership with DoorDash can benefit all dashers.
They can access Stride Health via DoorDash and use their services to find the best health care plans for them.
As far as a monthly stipend goes, there is no information on whether it will spread to other states.
DoorDash and the other app-based companies did not volunteer to pay this monthly stipend.
Thanks to aggressive lobbying, the stipend is required by the government.
If other states follow suit, it may soon become a nationwide requirement.
If this stipend requirement were to expand, it would likely begin in other places in the United States that rely heavily on these drivers, such as New York, Massachusetts, Washington, and Colorado.
In the end, it falls on the state and local governments to make the final decision.
Dasher Qualifications for Health Insurance
Not all dashers in California will qualify for the Stride health insurance and monthly stipends.
To understand what dashers qualify, refer to the requirements below.
15 Active Hours Per Week
You must have dashed for a minimum of 15 hours per week every week in the most recent quarter.
In other words, you must drive for DoorDash 15 hours a week for about 13 weeks in a row to qualify or average this.
If you took any long breaks, say two or three weeks off of dashing you may not be eligible for health insurance for that quarter.
What Qualifies as an Active Working Hour?
Only times when you are actively picking up and delivering an order or rider count as active working hours.
If you are signed into the app and waiting for orders or rides to pick up, this time does not count toward your active working hours.
Active working hours are determined every quarter.
So dashers need to average 15 hours per week every quarter.
But if they work 30 hours one week and zero hours the next week, their average will allow them to qualify.
How Do I Know If I Worked Enough Hours?
Beginning immediately, DoorDash will send out weekly emails to dashers keeping them updated on their weekly hours.
These emails will detail how many active hours they worked that week and show them their quarterly average.
If you do qualify, you will receive an email from [email protected] inviting you to apply for the health insurance stipend.
If you believe you worked more than 15 hours per week in the last quarter but received no communications, you can email [email protected], and they can help you.
Enrolled in a Qualifying Health Plan
You must be enrolled or enroll in a health insurance plan that matches the DoorDash requirements.
This health plan cannot be employer or government-sponsored.
It can be employer or government-sponsored before the current calendar year, and you can still qualify for the Prop 22 stipend.
Which Plans Qualify?
Most health insurance plans purchased in California will qualify for the monthly stipend.
However, not all will.
Below are the most common insurance companies that qualify for the Prop 22 stipend.
- Anthem Blue Cross
- Blue Shield of California
- Chinese Community Health Plan
- Health Net
- Kaiser Permanente
- L.A. Care Health Plan
- Molina Healthcare
- Sharp Health Plan
- Oscar Health
- Valley Health Plan
- Western Health Advantage
This list does not include every qualifying company.
But most insurance plans purchased through Covered California (California’s health insurance marketplace), and meet the ACA requirement for minimum essential coverage, will qualify for the stipend.
Below are some of the plans that will not qualify:
- Employer-sponsored plans
- Medicaid
- Medicare
- Medical
- CenCal Health,
- Inland Empire Health Plan (IEHP)
- Tricare
- Promise Health Plan
How Much Money Do You Get?
The payout of the stipend depends on how much you drive for DoorDash.
Drivers that are on the job for more than 25 hours a week can receive the maximum payout, which is $409 monthly.
For drivers that work for Doordash between 15 hours and 25 hours a week, they are eligible for 50% of the stipend payout.
So drivers that fall between 15 and 25 hours a week can receive up to $204 every month.
If you drive less than 15 hours per week, calculated every quarter, you are not eligible to receive any payout.
When Do You Get the Stipend?
If you file all paperwork correctly and qualify for the stipend, you will receive the stipend payouts on the last day of every month.
You must submit your application and all necessary documents (proof of insurance, active driving record, etc.) before the 15th of the month to receive the payment by the end of the same month.
What is Stride Health?
Stride Health is a startup company based in California that aims to connect self-employed individuals or freelancers with affordable health care.
Its mission is to help people find the best plans for their situation under the Affordable Care Act, so they can save money and still have health insurance.
DoorDash has partnered with Stride to help its drivers find insurance plans if they don’t have one already or want to switch providers and plans.
Stride acts as a resource and support center for all Californians struggling to gain or maintain a health care plan.
They do more than just match people with plans, as they try to educate and inform people about how health insurance works.
Does it Cover Dental or Vision?
When you purchase health insurance with Stride, they ensure you get dental and vision coverage, in addition to basic health insurance and life insurance options.
With Stride insurance plans, you can access over 84,000 vision specialists nationwide and only pay $120 every year for contacts or glasses.
You also have coverage for dental cleanings and regular checkups, with 100% of the bill covered.
Their dental insurance is accepted at over 300,000 locations nationwide, so it will work at offices outside of California if necessary.
Is It Best To Use Stride Health?
DoorDash and other app-based companies that fall under the requirements of Prop 22 partnered with Stride to help their employees.
So it is wise to use Stride if you need to find a new health insurance plan that encompasses the requirements.
You can search and sign up for a new health insurance plan on your own, but Stride helps drivers get the best monthly premiums so the stipend can cover the majority of their insurance payments.
Can I Use the Stipend For a Family Plan?
While the stipend is only meant to assist in health insurance for the dasher as an individual, it can be applied to whatever plan you feel suits your needs.
If you have a qualifying marital health insurance plan or a family plan, you can use the stipend to pay part of the monthly premiums.
Do I Have To Apply For the Stipend?
The stipend is not sent out automatically to every qualifying driver.
Unfortunately, it seems very few drivers have taken advantage of this monthly stipend even though they pay monthly insurance premiums and qualify for the money.
But applying is very simple, and many dashers have not done so because they don’t fully understand how the stipend works.
Steps to Apply
Applying for this stipend is super easy.
Follow these easy steps and start receiving the money to help you with your health insurance payments.
- Ensure you meet the active hours requirement.
- Check that your health insurance meets the enrollment requirements. If it doesn’t, find a health insurance plan that will qualify through Stride Health.
- Login to your Covered California Account Home. Click the “View Proof of Coverage Documents” at the top of your dashboard. Download these documents.
- Login to your Dasher account. Visit your profile, and there will be a field to apply for the stipend. All you need to do is upload the documents you downloaded from Covered California. If your active hours and insurance qualify, you will receive the stipend within 15-45 days, depending on when you uploaded the documents.
Wrapping Up
Many dashers and other app-based contractors in California have not taken advantage of this wonderful opportunity.
Health insurance is a major expense for many, and this shift in policy puts more responsibility on these companies to help their delivery workers.
If you’re a dasher and don’t know if you or your insurance qualifies, it’s worth taking a few minutes to find out, so you can benefit from this stipend.
Why I have planned summit my bill to doordash to prove my insurance with cover California and they said doesn’t approval this and don’t pay the stipend what can I do