Oscar, a health care startup, brings insurance coverage to Dallas - Dallas Morning News (blog)

Employees at work inside the office of Oscar, a startup health insurance company, at the Puck Building in New York, March 28, 2014. Oscar is only one of two for-profit companies that were not already health insurers to enter the state markets since the passing of the Affordable Care Act. (Joshua Bright/The New York Times)

Oscar, a health insurance startup that offers fitness incentives and unlimited telemedicine visits, is entering the Dallas market, the company announced.

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Coverage will be available for open enrollment next month, both on and off the federal exchange. Premiums have not been released yet.

Oscar launched health coverage in New York in 2014 and added New Jersey this year. It advertises prominently in New York subway stations and often appeals to younger tech-savvy customers. It has over 40,000 customers.

Mario Schlosser, CEO and co-founder of Oscar.

For 2016, Oscar is expanding to the Dallas area and San Antonio, along with Los Angeles and Orange County, Calif.

In Dallas, Oscar will offer individual and family health insurance, and partner with Tenet Healthcare and Baylor Scott & White Health, the company said.

CEO Mario Schlosser, a former consultant at McKinsey & Co., said Texas has long been a focus for Oscar, whose approach stands apart from traditional insurers. The company said its services include unlimited free telemedicine, free physician visits, no-cost generic prescriptions and wellness benefits, such as free wearable fitness devices.

Customers can receive up to $100 a year in gift cards for reaching specific daily walking goals.

Oscar has raised $350 million from venture funds and other investors, including $32.5 million from Google Capital. The startup is valued at over $1 billion, according to news reports.