Best Telemedicine Services for 2024

Sesame offers services for primary care concerns, some urgent care concerns, mental health consultations, prescription refills and even some in-person appointments. While Sesame is out of network with insurance companies, its prices are fairly affordable: Telehealth visits start at $47 for non-Sesame members who just want to make an appointment and start at $37 for Sesame members. The annual membership program costs $99 a year or $11 a month and comes with one free blood test. (You have to choose between metabolic, lipid thyroid and more so it’s not full blood work.) 

Sesame is transparent in the way you can view doctors’ full names, their price as well as their appointment times to make choosing a slot a little less murky. You can also search for a specialty (Ob-Gyn, dermatologist, pediatrician) by your city. 

Due to the high costs of health care and health care shortages in the US, a lot of people don't have a long-term, primary care doctor they can go to for general health concerns. This can become a problem when you, as the patient, are responsible for remembering all past medications you've been prescribed, which routes you've gone to manage a specific health concern and any other medical nuances that would've all happened in one place, had you an actual relationship with a primary care doctor.

HealthTap aims to take away at least a few of these pains, and it allows you to choose and keep the same doctor for future appointments. You can also add your young children so they can have the same provider. For many people, this may be a more affordable take on the "concierge medicine" style of care. It advertises coverage for a variety of health care services, including primary care, men's health, women's health, children's care and management for chronic conditions like high blood pressure and diabetes.

For a $15 monthly fee, you can access some of the perks associated with concierge medicine, like keeping the same doctor who's familiar with your medical history and being able to message them directly. (Everyone will need to pay a membership fee to access the full range of services, except people with Clover Health plans. HealthTap says Medicare coverage for subscription cost is "coming soon.") From there, you'll pay $44 or less for video visits or $59 or less for urgent care. Non members will pay $129 per visit, which includes texting with your provider for up to 90 days. HealthTap says it accepts out-of-network insurance coverage for hundreds of plans, and that it's in-network for people using Medicare for doctor's visits. HealthTap also says it will do the claim submission for you, which is a nice perk.

Hims & Hers started as Hims, a telemedicine site providing medications for health problems men may feel are stigmatized, including hair loss treatments and sexual wellness medication. In recent years, it’s boomed into Hims and Hers, two technically separate sites for personal care services for erectile dysfunction, early ejaculation, mental health, hair loss for men and women, skincare and weight management medication.

The Hims & Hers site is easy to navigate. Choose the site that’ll fit your body’s needs (Hims or Hers) then choose the condition you’d like to manage. From there, you’ll be prompted to fill out a medical review, where a medical provider will sign off on your treatment plan or request an audio call if that's required in your state. Once it’s been reviewed, your medication will be shipped to your door in discreet packaging. You can also request your medication be shipped to a pharmacy instead. 

One downside to Hims & Hers is that it doesn’t take insurance. There may be a loophole if you send your medication to a pharmacy, but Hims & Hers does not work with insurance companies. Also, while it does offer mental health medication, it can't prescribe controlled substances, which include drugs like Klonopin and Adderall.

Dr. B stands apart from other telehealth services because it provides care to patients even if they can't pay the flat consultation fee of $15. The company offers care for common health conditions that may require a simple prescription, such as the flu or COVID-19, urinary tract infections, some sexual health conditions and dermatology consultations for hair loss, eczema and more. Because it's more of a one-stop shop, you won't meet with or speak with a provider. Instead, a medical reviewer will fulfill your request and send a prescription if needed.

To see if you qualify for no-pay service, you'll need to answer some questions about your income and household. As part of Dr. B's no-pay model, you can't use your insurance to pay the $15 consultation fee. You may use your insurance for whatever medicine is prescribed. (People who qualify for the no-pay service may still be responsible for the price of their prescriptions. To get additional payment support, Dr. B has a list of resources in its FAQ section.)

MDLive provides mental health services like talk therapy and psychiatric services as well as general medical care, including urgent care. It accepts major insurance companies, making it a good choice for people who want to use their insurance.

A perk of using MDLive for mental health services is that you can pick your provider. You can also choose your primary care provider, and even stick with the same one for future appointments, if need be. Urgent care services are available 24/7.

Amwell is another comprehensive online service. It's notable in part for its second opinion option with the Cleveland Clinic. It's pricey at a hefty $1,890 for a written report from a Cleveland Clinic specialist, but it includes an initial call with a nurse to get the details of your case, concierge record-collecting service and then a virtual visit with the specialist who will explain your report and their second opinion on your diagnosis. It's not covered by insurance but could be a useful option for people who just received a major diagnosis and want to go over their health management plan with another expert.

Other services that set Amwell apart are its nutrition counseling and breastfeeding support options. It also offers standard urgent care and mental health services. Amwell does take some major insurance providers

One Medical may now also be known as Amazon's doctor, thanks to the tech giant's increasing step into health care. Last year the company announced that the service would be available to Prime members. One Medical is a membership service that offers virtual health care and has locations where you can see a provider in person throughout some US cities. It may now also be known as Amazon's doctor, thanks to the tech giant's increasing step into health care. Last year the company announced that the service would be available to Prime members.

The One Medical-Amazon partnership comes in when existing Prime members pay an extra $9 a month or $99 annually for the service's medical care, a $100 discount from One Medical's standard rate. (Prime memberships cost $15 monthly.) The One Medical membership gives Amazon users access to virtual, on-demand primary care services for no additional cost. For some lab or in-office services, there may be additional costs, although these may be covered by your health insurance. One Medical covers some mental health services, like medication management and referrals to a specialist. One Medical can also prescribe controlled substances after people have established care with a qualified provider, which isn't true for many telehealth-forward companies.

For people who meet the criteria, there may be financial assistance available.

PlushCare is similar to other telemedicine companies in that it offers primary, urgent and mental health care services. It gets a little more specific in programs designed for disaster relief, which is cost-free for those who qualify. It also markets sexual health services and lab testing.

PlushCare is a subscription service that costs $99 a year or $20 a month. Without insurance, a first visit is $129. For veterans or military members without insurance, PlushCare only charges $49 a visit. The cost of additional services will depend on your insurance.

Doctor on Demand offers your standard catalog of urgent care services (treatments and visits for common conditions like UTIs, viruses, sinus infections and more) as well as online mental health services. We're including Doctor on Demand because it makes it easy for people using Medicare to know what they're covered for. Doctor on Demand says you can use Medicare Part B for urgent care visit copays, and it walks you through the steps on how to do it. It accepts other private insurers as well.

If you're using Doctor on Demand without insurance, costs for visits start at $89.