Sidecar Health has appointed Sharath Pasupunuti as Chief Technology Officer, adding a seasoned healthcare technology leader to guide the company’s engineering and AI strategy as it continues to scale its consumer-driven health insurance model.

Sharath will oversee engineering, data, and platform development, building on Sidecar Health’s existing use of artificial intelligence and modern infrastructure to improve price transparency and deliver a state-of-the-art healthcare shopping experience. This work advances the company’s efforts to reinvent how health insurance works for employers and their employees by bringing true consumerism to healthcare and driving down costs for all. He brings nearly 20 years of experience building large-scale, AI-enabled platforms across healthcare and enterprise technology. Most recently, Sharath served as senior vice president of engineering at Hinge Health, where he helped scale product and engineering for its digital musculoskeletal care platform. Prior to that, he was vice president of engineering at GE Healthcare, where he led development of the Edison AI platform and managed global teams delivering clinical and operational AI solutions.

At Sidecar Health, Sharath will help scale and evolve systems already designed to make healthcare easier to shop for and easier to use. Those systems show members clear costs upfront, automate routine claims processing and payments, and improve the accuracy of pricing and provider information so people can make faster, more predictable care decisions.

“Healthcare costs keep rising in part because the system runs on outdated technology and misaligned incentives,” said Veronica Osetinsky, Co-Founder and Chief Operating Officer of Sidecar Health. “Sharath has a wealth of experience building AI-driven platforms inside complex healthcare environments. His background will help us scale a model that replaces confusion with clarity and puts members in control so they can shop for healthcare the same way they shop for everything else.”

Unlike legacy health insurance, which relies on networks, prior authorizations, and lengthy claims processing, Sidecar Health lets members see costs upfront, choose any provider, and pay directly at the point of care. Technology — including AI — supports this model by improving the accuracy of upfront cost information, streamlining claims and payments, and guiding care navigation — reducing friction for both members and providers.

As CTO, Sharath will also expand Sidecar Health’s engineering and data teams and strengthen the technical foundation supporting the company’s growth with large employers.

“The insurance system wasn’t built around consumers, and the technology shows it,” said Sharath. “Sidecar Health has demonstrated that transparency and choice can lower costs and improve access. I’m excited to continue building on this technology that makes that experience faster, simpler, and more reliable as the company grows.”

About Sidecar Health

Sidecar Health is a major medical insurance company on a mission to make high-quality healthcare more affordable and accessible for everyone. We lower costs by putting people in control of their health decisions — no prior authorizations, no referrals, no networks. Members can visit any provider and pay directly with the Sidecar Health Visa card. And because they see what their plan covers upfront, members are empowered to treat healthcare dollars like their own — making informed, cost-conscious choices without sacrificing access or coverage. If they spend less, they keep half of the savings; if they spend more, they pay the difference. This model reshapes behavior, reduces costs, and cuts through the red tape that defines traditional insurance. With fewer than 1% of claims clinically denied, Sidecar Health puts people — not insurers — at the center of the system. The result: better access, greater transparency, and more empowered consumers. Learn more at sidecarhealth.com.

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Sidecar Health appoints Sharath Pasupunuti as Chief Technology Officer, adding a seasoned healthcare technology leader to guide the company’s engineering and AI strategy as it continues to scale its consumer-driven health insurance model.