Virtual care and health navigation company Included Health has agreed to acquire Firefly Health as it seeks to scale health plan alternatives for employers. The transaction is expected to close in the third quarter of 2026. Financial terms of the acquisition were not disclosed.
The deal follows Included Health’s launch in January of an alternative health plan design for employers, which expanded its existing all-in-one virtual care platform. Firefly Health, founded in 2017, is a primary care and health plan provider serving more than 20,000 individuals nationwide.
Owen Tripp, co-founder and chief executive officer of Included Health, said the transaction reflects both current market needs and a longer-term vision shared by the two companies. He stated, “In some ways, this is very much of the moment and what the market needs, and in some ways has been a very long-term vision that I think both of us have shared for where the whole country needs to go in terms of its health plan offerings.”
Tripp also said Included Health sees an opportunity through Firefly Health to accelerate the alternative health plan market by expanding access to care and improving financial outcomes for members. He described the acquisition as a strong fit for Included Health’s primary care-focused efforts.
Combination Brings Together Care Delivery and Health Plan Models
According to the companies, the pending acquisition will combine Included Health’s AI-native virtual care platform with Firefly Health’s clinically integrated health plan. Firefly’s model integrates primary care with a nationwide near-home, in-home, and specialty care network.
Included Health works with health plans and employers, including one-third of the Fortune 100. Its services include healthcare benefits and insurance navigation, virtual primary care, behavioral health, specialty care, expert medical opinions and urgent care appointments. The company also introduced its personalized AI assistant and chatbot, Dot, in December.
Company executives said the combination is intended to create a scaled health plan alternative designed to provide long-term savings for employers by connecting employees to care through a modern experience with predictable costs.
Firefly Reports Cost Savings and Clinical Outcomes
Fay Rotenberg, chief executive officer of Firefly Health, said the company’s clinically integrated health plan has demonstrated more than 15% total cost-of-care savings across its full Administrative Services Only book of business compared with a risk-adjusted market benchmark.
She also said Firefly’s model has increased chronic condition outcomes by 50% to 80% while delivering 90% member satisfaction.
According to the company, these results are driven by combining NCQA-accredited team-based primary care with nationwide, quality-led navigation to high-value virtual and in-person providers.
Rotenberg said the acquisition would allow Firefly’s model to be offered to more employers through Included Health’s scale.
Employer Interest in Alternative Health Plans Continues to Grow
The companies highlighted increasing healthcare costs as employers evaluate alternative health plan designs. PwC has projected a 9% medical cost trend increase in 2027 before employers make plan design changes.
According to data from WTW, 41% of employers currently use alternative health plan designs, while another 46% are planning or considering adoption within the next two years. The companies said these efforts are intended to address rising medical costs while avoiding significant cost-shifting to employees.
Included Health said the combined company will focus on four differentiators: nationwide care delivery across urgent, primary and specialty care; network optimization; dynamic plan design; and a concierge member experience.
Firefly entered the health plan market in 2021 with the launch of a health plan benefit for employers. Rotenberg said the company’s plan architecture aligns incentives so that the highest-quality care is the most affordable choice. She said both organizations share a focus on putting members first, delivering clinical and financial health, and placing care at the center of plan design while aligning financial incentives.
Included Health has announced an agreement to acquire Firefly Health, marking a significant step in expanding employer-sponsored healthcare solutions. The acquisition will enable Included Health to strengthen its integrated care platform by combining Firefly Health’s virtual-first primary care capabilities with its own care navigation and specialty healthcare services. The move reflects Included Health’s strategy to deliver more accessible, coordinated, and cost-effective healthcare for employers and their workforce.
Why the Included Health Acquisition Matters
The acquisition strengthens Included Health’s position in the growing employer healthcare market. By integrating Firefly Health’s technology and clinical expertise, Included Health can offer employers a more comprehensive alternative to traditional health plans, helping organizations improve employee health outcomes while managing healthcare costs.
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