Skip to Content
Streetsblog New York City home
Streetsblog New York City home
Log In
Ad Nauseam

Oscar Health Insurance: “Bike Messengers Can Blindside You”

Health insurance company Oscar is banking on fear and loathing of cyclists. Photo: Danielle Kosecki/Twitter
Health insurance company Oscar is banking on fear and loathing of cyclists. Photo: Danielle Kosecki/Twitter
Health insurance company Oscar is banking on fear and loathing of cyclists. Photo: Danielle Kosecki/Twitter

Here's one for the tone-deaf PR file.

Oscar, a "startup" health insurance company helmed by real estate heir and venture capitalist Joshua Kushner (brother of Observer publisher Jared Kushner), is hoping to sign up young, tech-savvy New Yorkers in need of health coverage. To do this, the company has launched an ad campaign that features this message: "Bike messengers can blindside you. Medical bills shouldn't."

Bike messengers, who are less common on NYC's streets today than they were a decade or two ago, tend to be scapegoated like this -- the embodiment of all that is fearsome about city traffic.

Statewide, the economic cost of car crashes in terms of medical expenses and lost productivity is in the billions. Last year, 168 pedestrians and 10 cyclists died in NYC traffic, while more than 4,000 cyclists and 16,000 pedestrians were injured. The last time a New York City cyclist killed a pedestrian was April 2009, when Stuart Gruskin was killed by a wrong-way delivery cyclist on a Midtown street.

Fashion magazine editor Danielle Kosecki, who also rides with a NYC-based women's cycling team, saw the insurer's ad on a recent subway ride and was not impressed. She tweeted to the company and called the ad "fear mongering."

Other health insurance companies have embraced cycling as a way to market themselves in a positive light and encourage their customers to stay fit. And organizations like the Centers for Disease Control, the American Public Health Association, the American Academy of Pediatrics not only see traffic crashes as preventable but encourage active transportation to improve health.

Oscar didn't have anything to say in reply to Kosecki's tweet except, "Our customers know what they can expect to pay for doctor visits, procedures, etc. That's all this ad is about: price. #transparency" Streetsblog asked the company if it had any other response to criticism of the campaign. We'll let you know if we hear anything back.

Stay in touch

Sign up for our free newsletter

More from Streetsblog New York City

Money for Something: Funding OK’d, But Details Missing For ‘Dept. Of Sustainable Delivery’

The mayor got the Council to sign off on $6.1 million for the long-awaited “Department of Sustainable Delivery." But what's it mean? No one is talking.

July 1, 2025

Incoming Albany Mayor Could Help Safe Streets Movement Statewide

The state capital is built for the car and that is how it is experienced by our lawmakers. But could that change under a new mayor? Here's hoping.

July 1, 2025

Tuesday’s Headlines: Another Child Sacrificed to the SUV Edition

Stop de kindermoord! An 8-year-old boy killed by an SUV driver is the latest victim of America's obsession with big cars. Plus other news.

July 1, 2025

DOT Testimony: Removing Bedford Ave. Bike Lane Will ‘Reduce Safety’

"Removing the protected bike lane won’t remove cyclists — it will only make the street less safe," the DOT said. "The city risks legal liability for knowingly reducing safety on a Vision Zero priority corridor."

June 30, 2025

Hochul Signs Speed Camera Reauthorization, Enforcement Continues Through 2030

Stating a clear fact that scores of state legislators reject, Hochul said, "Speed cameras save lives and keep New Yorkers safe."

June 30, 2025

Cyclists Tell Judge Carolyn Walker-Diallo: The Bedford Ave. Bike Lane is a Lifesaver

A judge will decide the fate of the Bedford Avenue bike lane on Tuesday. Streetsblog offers some user affidavits.

June 30, 2025
See all posts