How Much Does Teladoc Cost?
Teladoc allows you to talk to a doctor via the phone or video 24 hours a day, allowing you to avoid the hassles of the local urgent care or emergency room, known as a low-cost alternative to the traditional doctor’s office visit.
How much does Teladoc cost?
The cost of Teladoc, as per the official FAQ, will greatly depend on your health insurance policy, but the website, according to its website description, notes consults start at $49 or less. To know for certain, it’s best to discuss the costs with your insurance company or even refer to your EOB to see what you may be responsible for. For most, over-the-phone consults will almost always cost less than $49 per call, even after insurance pays its share.
With Aetna health insurance plans, for example, this official press release notes all Teladoc consultations will be $38 or lower.
The Beth Israel Medical Center, in its partnership with Teladoc, offered three plans, according to the official website: a $49 per consult, which requires no monthly/annual fees, a $39 per consult for individuals, which has a $29.99 annual or $2.99 a month fee, and the family account, up to nine dependents, which will cost $49.99 a year or $4.99 a month and will cost $39 per consult.
How Teladoc works
Whether you’re at home, at work or on vacation 1,000 miles away from your home, you can set up a call with Teladoc and have a prescription sent to a nearby pharmacy within minutes after your call ends. To start, you will first log into your Teladoc account after you signed up or 1-800-Teladoc to request a consult. When requested a doctor, according to the company, will respond within one hour, guaranteed.
Next, a Teladoc will review any medical history notes you put on file, call your phone to discuss your concerns and answer any questions you may have, just like a normal doctor’s office visit. There is no time limit on the phone calls. All doctors are U.S. board certified and licensed to practice in the United States. When connected, you will be connected to a doctor who is licensed in your state.
After the consult, your doctor will then recommend a treatment for your medical issue, and if necessary, he or she will send a prescription to the pharmacy of your choice. Also, with your consent, your Teladoc doctor can forward his consult notes to your primary care physician. Doctors, according to the FAQ, are not able to issue a prescription for substances issued by the DEA, non-therapeutic or for any drugs which may be harmful due to the potential for abuse.
Tips to know
All memberships include a free electronic health record, which allows you to access your medical history at any time via the Teladoc portal. All of the data on the website is HIPAA-compliant, encrypted and stored on servers in controlled settings to help keep all of your information private and personal.
Teladoc is best to resolve medical conditions such as cold/flu symptoms, allergies, bronchitis, poison ivy, pink eye, respiratory infections, ear infections and sinus problems, to name a few. The service is designed to help treat non-emergency medical problems, not if you’re experiencing a medical emergency. PacificSource.com recommends you use Teladoc when your doctor isn’t available, there’s no time for an office visit, you’re on vacation, you need a short-term prescription fill, distance from an office is difficult and/or you need pediatric care.
Teladoc is not available outside of the United States.
From the experiences we read online, Teladoc seems to be available via group or certain employer health insurance plans only.
Teladoc competitors include Doctor on Demand, HealthTap, American Well, InTouch Technologies and Best Doctors.
Teladoc reviews
As of 2018, the official had a 4.8 out of 5-star rating, with close to 30,000 reviews.
On Google Play, 1,900 downloaders gave the app an average of four out of five stars. Top reviewers enjoyed the knowledgeable doctors, the ease of use and not having to go to the doctor’s office, while the negative reviewers often noted some doctors made them feel rushed, while others were unable to receive a diagnosis.
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