MDLive Review: Price, Pros & Cons

MDLIVE isn't a weight-loss subscription with a monthly price. It's a large telehealth service, owned by Evernorth, that handles urgent care, therapy, dermatology and primary care. GLP-1 prescriptions come only through one door: a Primary Care routine care visit.

That door is narrower than it sounds. MDLIVE says its Primary Care is available only through select health insurance plans, and its weight-management FAQ says you're eligible if your health plan includes MDLIVE Virtual Primary Care and you meet the medical requirements. If your plan doesn't include it, you can still use MDLIVE for urgent care or therapy, but those visits can't be used to start a GLP-1. Check your plan documents, or log in and look at your benefits, before you count on it.

MDLIVE doesn't publish a price for weight care or for any GLP-1. Both the visit copay and the medication cost depend on your health plan. Copays for participating plans can be as low as $0, and MDLIVE says any charge is shown upfront before you book.

The medication is billed separately, through your pharmacy benefit. Your MDLIVE doctor can see your insurance information, tell you which drugs your plan covers and what you'd owe, and point you to manufacturer savings or pharmacy discounts. If your plan doesn't cover GLP-1s for weight loss, you'd pay the pharmacy's cash price for a brand-name drug, so ask for that figure before you fill it.

You start by answering a few questions, then choose an MDLIVE doctor and book a time. You can keep seeing the same doctor at each appointment. Same-day slots exist but aren't guaranteed.

The doctor reviews your history, may order lab work to check for obesity, prediabetes or type 2 diabetes, and sets short- and long-term goals with you. If a GLP-1 is appropriate, MDLIVE says its doctors can prescribe drugs like Wegovy and Zepbound, at their discretion. A wellness screening visit can't be used for this, and neither can urgent care.

Prescriptions go to your preferred local pharmacy, or to mail order if your drug is eligible. Follow-up visits track your progress, and your doctor may add the MDLIVE Health Coaching app, which logs your weight, meals and reminders between appointments.

• Brand-name only. MDLIVE says it prescribes FDA-approved medications only and never uses compounded drugs.
• State restrictions apply. The current FAQ says GLP-1s are unavailable in certain states. Confirm yours through your health-plan benefits before booking.
• No guarantee of a prescription. It's the doctor's call, based on your history and labs.
• Visit summaries can go to your own doctor. Ask and MDLIVE will share them with your in-person primary care provider.