Included Health to acquire Firefly Health, scaling employer health plan alternatives

What's the deal? Included HealthDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →, a virtual care and health navigation company, has signed an agreement to acquire Firefly Health. The companies did not disclose financial terms. The deal is expected to close in the third quarter of 2026.

Who are they? Firefly Health, founded in 2017, provides primary care and health plans to more than 20,000 individuals nationally. Included Health runs an all-in-one virtual care platform.

Why now? In January 2026, Included Health launched an alternative health plan design for employers, expanding beyond its existing platform. Acquiring Firefly deepens that push into the employer health market.

What's the endgame? The goal is to scale primary care-centric health plans that improve access, care, and financial outcomes for members. "We see in Firefly an opportunity to accelerate the whole alternative health plan space," said Owen TrippDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →, co-founder and chief executive officer of Included Health.

Tripp called the acquisition a "perfect fit" for advancing the company's "primary care-centric work in bringing a great health plan for members." Firefly built a clinically integrated health plan to compete with traditional employer coverage.

The signal: The deal reflects a broader consolidation among virtual care and health navigation firms seeking to own more of the health plan itself. By pairing navigation tools with an integrated plan, Included Health is betting employers want alternatives to legacy coverage models.

Read more: Fierce Healthcare