Head-to-head · Cost-Efficiency Index
PlushCare vs YourEra
Two GLP-1 programs on the bench, scored on the same six factors. Here's how their real cost of ownership compares — and which one we'd start with.
PlushCare
Patients who want a real board-certified physician managing GLP-1s alongside general primary care, and are prepared to navigate insurance or a manufacturer cash-pay program rather than a single flat price.
Visit PlushCareYourEra
Shoppers chasing the lowest sticker price who will verify what's actually billed after the first month.
Visit YourEraThe verdict
PlushCare takes it, leading the Cost-Efficiency Index 65 to 62. PlushCare (a Transcarent, Inc. subsidiary) is a virtual primary-care platform whose board-certified MDs can prescribe brand-name GLP-1s (via insurance or Novo Nordisk's NovoCare cash-pay program) or compounded semaglutide/tirzepatide in a roughly 39-state footprint. YourEra still earns a C — Shoppers chasing the lowest sticker price who will verify what's actually billed after the first month.
Worth knowing either way: our overall #1 pick is CoreAge Rx (Cost-Efficiency Index 94/100 — the top of the ranking). See how it stacks up: CoreAge Rx vs PlushCare.
Factor by factor
Both providers scored on our six Cost-Efficiency Index factors. The stronger side on each row is marked in teal.
Normalized Cost/Month
Price Transparency
Nationwide Access
Formulation Options
Clinical Oversight
Contract Flexibility
Pricing, coverage & formulary
The disclosed facts behind the scores. Lower price wins its row (teal).
| Spec | PlushCare | YourEra |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-Efficiency Index | 65/100 | 62/100 |
| Semaglutide / mo | $199/mo (0.25 mg dose, plus a separate fee, brand-name) | $179/mo (all doses, month-to-month, compounded) |
| Tirzepatide / mo | $399/mo (5 mg dose, plus a separate fee, compounded) | $259/mo (all doses, month-to-month, compounded) |
| Semaglutide / yr (modeled) | $2,388 | $2,148 |
| Tirzepatide / yr (modeled) | $4,788 | $3,108 |
| Coverage | All 50 states | Coverage not published |
| Oral / sublingual | No | No |
| Brand-name access | Yes | Compounded only |
| Rank here | #166 | #171 |
PlushCare
65/100Where the value is
- Board-certified physicians (not NP-only) available in all 50 states for general virtual primary care
- Publishes an unusually granular compounded-tirzepatide dose ladder ($399/$599/$749 by vial count) instead of a vague single 'starting at' figure
- Brand Wegovy via NovoCare's manufacturer program can beat most compounded prices ($199-399/mo) when the promotion is genuinely still active
The tradeoffs
- Compounded tirzepatide and semaglutide are each only available in about 39 states plus DC, narrower than PlushCare's general 50-state telehealth business
- A $19.99/mo membership and, for uninsured patients, a $129 visit fee sit on top of every medication price and are easy to miss from the headline drug price alone
YourEra
62/100Where the value is
- A 6-month prepay drops semaglutide to $99/month, among the lowest compounded-GLP-1 headline prices we track
- No membership-fee structure; the site markets "no hidden fees" and "Same price at every dose"
- Prescriptions are "issued only if deemed medically appropriate" after evaluation by licensed US clinicians, stated plainly
The tradeoffs
- The advertised $99/month requires a 6-month prepay — paying month to month costs $149 for the first month and $179/month after, nearly double the headline
- Tirzepatide's advertised $179 is a first-month intro, not a prepay rung: the page's own words are "Month-to-month intro. Then $259/mo." — so the two molecules' headline discounts work in two different ways on one page
Assume any provider we list may compensate us — we may earn a commission, at no cost to you. It never changes the Cost-Efficiency Index. Pricing, states and verification reflect each provider's public disclosures at last review; prices change — confirm on the provider's site. Not medical advice. See our disclosure.