Healthcare Technology Featured Article

January 22, 2014

Telehealth from MDLIVE Could Seal Coverage Gaps in Many Health Insurance Policies


MDLIVE, a provider of 24/7 healthcare services by telephone or by video conference, has just announced $23.6 million in VC funding from investors led by the Heritage Group's Healthcare Innovation Fund.

MDLIVE is an online urgent care clinic that's available for subscribers starting at $14.95 per month. Patients that use MDLIVE don't have to worry about insurance costs for routine doctor visits. They can also skip emergency room visits for issues that aren't life-threatening.

Subscribers can login to the MDLIVE website and select the type of physician that they want to see. Then, they choose whether to be contacted by video or by phone. When the physician is ready to talk, the subscriber receives a text message and an email alert. Clicking or tapping a link initiates the telehealth session.

In some cases, doctors may recommend prescription medication. MDLIVE uses e-prescribing to send prescriptions to a patient's local pharmacy.

MDLIVE has a lot to offer to Americans that have enrolled in Bronze plans on their state or federal health insurance exchange. Most Bronze plans have high deductibles; some start at around $6,000. With the exception of one free preventive screening per year, patients have to pay out of pocket for any doctor or ER visits until they've met their deductibles.

With MDLIVE, individuals or families could pay the monthly rate for online doctor access, which would average between $180 and $300 per year, while staying enrolled on their Bronze plans. The monthly fee for MDLIVE plus the cheaper Bronze plan premium would cost less than paying for a Silver or Gold plan.

The lower costs combined with the convenience of having 24/7 access to doctors could outweigh the risk, particularly for families with young children. Parents spend many nights trying to figure out what's ailing a sick little one, and a quick consultation on MDLIVE could provide answers and help everyone to get a good night's sleep.

The Bronze plan's high deductible would still be a challenge when patients faced emergency situations; that's the risk. Also, patients would pay full price for prescriptions, minus the discounts provided by MDLIVE's free drug discount card.

Paying for healthcare is still tough even with the Affordable Care Act in place. For many patients, telehealth solutions like MDLIVE could fill the service gap.




Edited by Cassandra Tucker
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