Why insurers are beginning to embrace billion-dollar healthcare startups like SmileDirectClub and Warby Parker

Massive insurers like Aetna and UnitedHealthcare are embracing direct-to-consumer brands like Warby Parker and SmileDirectClub by agreeing to pay for their products. It's happening at a time when insurers are trying to get competitive and reach members through products they find as convenient as shopping online. It's also a show of confidence in the approaches these companies are taking, which are sometimes opposed by other clinicians.