As secretary of Louisiana’s health department from 2016 to 2020, Rebekah Gee led the expansion of Medicaid to bring coverage to more than 500,000 low-income Louisianans (some 1.4 million Louisianans rely on it today). With many of those benefits at risk, Gee is now tackling nationwide healthcare vulnerability from her perch as founder of Nest Health.
The New Orleans-based company provides in-home and virtual care for families, including primary care, mental health, and substance abuse treatment. It also offers social services, like help securing housing and utilities, and helps families navigate Medicaid enrollment to reduce churn.
“The health of children and families in the US lags behind our peer countries,” Gee told ImpactAlpha. “Our family-based model meets people where they are with radical accessibility, bringing comprehensive care into the home for the whole family.”
Nest delivers its services by working through partnerships with health insurers that have Medicaid contracts with state governments. Its focus is preventative care. “Early intervention is critical to improving generational health outcomes,” said Gee.
Value-based care
Nest secured Series A equity funding from 8VC, Blue Venture Fund, Amboy Street Ventures,Alumni Ventures, Health 2047 and others. The funding will support the expansion of its insurer partnerships beyond Louisiana and Arizona.
With AmeriHealth Caritas Louisiana, Nest says it has lowered costs for the insurer by reducing emergency room visits and doubling vaccination rates. With Blue Cross Blue Shield in Arizona, it aims to improve access to care for more than 18,000 people enrolled in Medicaid along with their families.
Such partnerships, said Gee, have “demonstrated measurable improvements in preventive care, vaccination rates, postpartum follow-up, and overall family health” (see related, “A different Medicaid story in Washington DC: Financing a ‘Recovery Cafe’ to cut hospital visits”).
