This information is educational and does not constitute medical advice. It is not a substitute for evaluation by a licensed healthcare professional. Individual results vary.
What Telehealth Really Costs: How to Calculate the Total
The real price of a telehealth platform is the sum of four parts: the medical evaluation, the medication, shipping, and any membership or access fee. If the pricing page doesn't let you see all four, you don't yet know what you'll pay.
This guide shows you how to add them up yourself, before you hand over your card. It's check number five in our guide to verifying a telehealth platform, explained in more detail.
What does the total price of a telehealth platform include?
The total price has four parts: the medical evaluation, the medication, shipping with supplies, and any membership or access fee. A transparent platform shows all four in writing before you pay. If one only appears at the last step, or doesn't appear at all, ask before you continue.
How do I calculate what I'll pay over a year?
Add the initial evaluation, the medication times the number of months, the shipping on each delivery, and the membership times twelve. The formula is: annual cost = (monthly fee × 12) + (medication × months) + evaluation + shipping. Run every platform through the same formula and compare the full-year total, not just the first month.
Here's an example with a made-up number, only to show the arithmetic: a $30-a-month membership adds up to $360 a year before you pay for any medication. Two platforms with the same medication price can end up with very different totals because of that one line.
What is a membership or access fee, and is it normal?
It's a recurring charge some platforms add for using the service, separate from the medication and the medical evaluation. Some charge one and some don't, and neither is wrong by itself. What matters is that it's written down before you pay, that you know how much it is and when it's billed, and that you can cancel it.
Why is the medical evaluation charged separately?
The medical evaluation is a different service from the medication: a licensed physician reviews your information and decides whether a treatment is appropriate for you. Some platforms charge it as a separate fee. Whether you're charged when the physician doesn't approve you depends on each refund policy, so read it before you enter your card.
Are shipping and supplies included?
It depends on the platform. Some build shipping and supplies into the price and others charge them separately, and on recurring deliveries that charge can repeat every time. Search for the word "shipping" on the pricing page, in the cart and in the terms, then add it to your yearly total.
How do I spot fees I didn't see at the start?
Compare three moments: the price on the landing page, the price in the cart and the price on the last step before you pay. If they differ, ask why. Also check when the charge renews and how far ahead you have to cancel. A fee that only shows up on the final step is a bad sign.
How is pricing structured at VidaFlow Health?
VidaFlow Health doesn't charge a membership. When you submit your request, a payment authorization is placed, and you're charged only after an independent licensed physician approves you. If you aren't approved, you aren't charged. The refund policy has the full details.
If you cancel after approval but before shipment, the $35 medical evaluation fee is non-refundable and the rest is refunded. Medication that has already shipped can't be refunded. Read the full refund policy before you pay, and compare our prices using the same formula you'd use on any other platform.
If something doesn't add up, ask
A serious platform can explain every line of the price in writing without getting defensive. If you get evasive answers or pressure to pay today, that's your answer.
You can ask us these same questions. Write to support@vidaflowhealth.com.
Frequently asked questions
Is a monthly membership a bad sign?
Not by itself. Some platforms charge one and some don't. What matters is that it's written down before you pay, that you know how much it is and when it's billed, and that you can cancel it.
How do I compare two platforms with different prices?
Use the same formula on both: (monthly fee × 12) + (medication × months) + evaluation + shipping. Compare the full-year total, not just the first month.
What should I do if the price changes on the last step?
Stop and ask in writing why it changed. If you don't get a clear explanation before you pay, that's a bad sign and you can walk away without paying.
Do you charge for the medical evaluation if I'm not approved?
It depends on the platform and should be in its refund policy. At VidaFlow Health, if a physician doesn't approve you, you aren't charged.
If you'd like to see how the process works at VidaFlow Health, from your request to the physician's decision, see how it works.