The World Health Organization has declared the new coronavirus a pandemic, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends video visits with a healthcare professional to reduce the risk of being exposed to the coronavirus that causes COVID-19. If you are experiencing mild flu-like symptoms, virtual doctor visits may also prevent you from endangering others.
While telemedicine has been around for a while, your health insurance plan might not have covered or recommended virtual visits before, so there's a good chance that it's a totally new thing for you. Most health insurance providers now include nurse and doctor video calls, but it can be challenging to figure out which service they work with.
To avoid waiting rooms where you could have close contact (within six feet) or infected individuals or groups, and to prevent direct contact (getting coughed on), check out the list of apps below for one-on-one online doctor visits from the comfort of your own home.
Aside from just web apps, all of them have mobile apps for your smartphone, in case you don't have a computer or are self-quarantined somewhere away from it. Most will accept patients without any insurance, but you'll have to cover the full bill yourself. Most will also take any health insurance coverage you may have, and while we list health insurance plans below for each, it's by no means an exhaustive list.
Aetna, Anthem, the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association, Cigna, Human, UnitedHealth Group, and other health insurers have pledged to waive all copays related to coronavirus care, while also included coverage for treatments should you be diagnosed with COVID-19. How that plays into remote clinical services remains to be seen, but remote appointments are your best chance at avoiding the virus or preventing further spread of it.
Note: We will continue to add more telemedicine apps and insurers as we find them. Telemedicine apps below are listed in alphabetical order.
App 1: AmWell (American Well)
App links: iOS | Android | Web
- Academic Health Plan (AHP)
- Aetna
- Anthem
- APWU
- Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona
- Blue Cross Blue Shield of Kansas City
- Blue Cross Blue Shield of Kansas
- Blue Cross Blue Shield of Louisiana
- Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts
- Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan
- Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Dakota
- Blue Cross Blue Shield of Nebraska
- Blue Cross Blue Shield of Rhode Island
- Blue Cross Blue Shield of South Carolina
- Blue Cross Blue Shield of Vermont
- Beacon Health
- Benovate
- BroadSpire
- Capital Blue Cross (PA)
- Capital Health (FL)
- CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield
- Cigna
- CorVel
- Emblem Health
- EnhancedCareMD
- Foreign Service Benefit Plan
- Health Alliance Plan (MI)
- Health Tradition
- Highmark
- Hawaii Medical Services Association
- Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey
- iCare
- Medica
- MHBP
- Mississippi State Employees
- MVP Healthcare
- Physicans Heath Plan (MI)
- Rural Carrier Benefit Plan
- UnitedHealthCare
- WEA Trust
- WebTPA
- Possibly others
App 2: Doctor on Demand
App 3: HealthTap
App links: iOS | Android | Web
- Unknown, but insurance is accepted
App 4: LiveHealth Online Mobile
App links: iOS | Android | Web
- Amerigroup
- Anthem Blue Cross
- Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield
- Blue Cross Blue Shield of Georgia
- Empire BlueCross
- Empire BlueCross BlueShield
- Simply Healthcare Plans
- UniCare
- Possibly others
App 5: MDLIVE
App links: iOS | Android | Web
- Anthem Blue Cross SISC
- Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arkansas
- Blue Cross Blue Shield of Illinois
- Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Mexico
- Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina
- Blue Cross Blue Shield of Texas
- Blue Cross of Idaho
- Cigna
- Humana
- Independence Blue Cross
- Independence Blue Cross Medicare
- Medicare
- Optima
- Optima Medicare
- Possibly others
App 6: MeMD
App links: iOS | Android | Web
- Does not accept insurance
- Can pay with FSA, HSA and HRA accounts or debit and credit cards.
App 7: PlushCare
App links: iOS | Android | Web
- Anthem Blue Cross
- Blue Shield of California
- Cigna
- UnitedHealthcare
- Possibly others
App 8: Providence Health Connect
App links: iOS | Android | Web
- Blue Cross Blue Shield of Montana
- Blue Cross Blue Shield of Montana - Blue Options
- Boeing ACO Providence-Swedish Health Alliance (Washington)
- CareOregon HealthShare
- Columbia Pacific CCO (Oregon)
- First Choice (Alaska)
- First Choice Health (Montana)
- Intel Connected Care HDHP (Oregon, Washington)
- Intel Connected Care Primary Care Plus (Oregon, Washington)
- Interwest Health (Washington)
- Jackson Care Connect (Oregon)
- PacificSource (Montana)
- Premera (Alaska)
- Premera Health Plan (Oregon, Washington)
- Providence Health Plan (Alaska, California, Montana, Oregon, Washington)
- Providence Health Plan Health Share (Oregon)
- Providence Medicare Advantage (Alaska, Oregon, Washington)
- Public Education Health Trust (Alaska)
- Regence BCBS of Oregon Med Advantage
- Regence BCBS of Oregon PPO
- Regence PPO - Swedish Medical Group (Washington)
- United Healthcare (Montana)
- United Healthcare - Tricare (Montana)
- Possibly others
App 9: Teladoc
App links: iOS | Android | Web
- Aetna
- Blue Cross Blue Shield of Alabama
- UnitedHealthCare
- Possibly others
App 10: UnitedHealthCare
App links: iOS | Android | Web
- UnitedHealthCare
App 11: VA Video Connect
App links: iOS | Android | Web
- VA Health Care (Veterans Administration)
- All plans accepted by the VA
App 12: Virtuwell
App links: Web
- Aetna
- Americas PPO
- Anthem
- Assurant
- Blue Cross Blue Shield
- Cigna
- Common Ground Healthcare Cooperative
- EssentiaCare
- GHC-SCW
- HealthPartners
- Humana
- McLaren Health Plan Community
- Medica
- Olmsted County
- Preferred One
- UCare Choices
- UMR
- United Healthcare
- WPS
- Possibly others
App 13: 4 Your Health
App links: Web
- Does not accept insurance; $14.95/month with 14-day free trial
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