vision-insurance
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The $1.7 Billion Reason Guardian Life Still Believes in an Old-Fashioned Idea
Guardian Life has spent 165 years selling protection against life’s worst timing. Its mutual structure now pairs a record policyholder payout with the less glamorous work of making benefits, claims and leave easier to use.
VSP Vision
VSP Vision is the largest not-for-profit vision benefits and eye care company in the United States, founded in 1955 by a group of Northern California optometrists who pioneered the idea of prepaid vision insurance. Headquartered in Rancho Cordova, California, VSP now operates a vertically integrated portfolio spanning vision insurance, eyewear brands (Marchon, Altair, Marcolin), lens technology (VSP Optics), retail (Visionworks, Eyeconic), and practice-management software (Eyefinity). Backed by roughly 85 million members and a network of tens of thousands of independent eye doctors, the company frames its mission as empowering human potential through sight, and funds one of the industry's largest charitable arms, VSP Eyes of Hope.
Catch
Catch is a benefits platform built for the more than 50 million Americans who work for themselves and have no employer to hand them a health plan. It helps freelancers, contractors, gig workers and solopreneurs find, compare and enroll in health, dental and vision insurance, applying tax credits instantly so coverage costs less. The service is free to users. Founded in 2019 as a Y Combinator startup, Catch raised about $20M, was wound down by its original founders in early 2023, then bought and relaunched the same year by two operators who personally believed independent workers deserved a real safety net.