#Folx health states Patch#

Recipients are chosen on a first come, first serve basis, and about 75% of the grants are reserved for BIPOC trans people, Steinle adds.Īccording to Nina Kossof, director of community and marketing for Folx, the grants cover one year of HRT at 100% or two years of HRT at 50%. “What’s great about the program is that we are sourcing this money from big corporations, not from people who are already strapped for money,” Steinle says. But all dosages cost the same.įolx also has an HRT Care Fund, which uses donations and grants to help pay for Folx users’ care.

#Folx health states Patch#

If someone wants an estrogen patch or injectables though, “which are less common and much more expensive types of medication,” there is an additional cost, Steinle says. The estrogen membership, for example, is $119 per month for people just starting HRT and includes the initial consultation, unlimited virtual visits and messaging with your care team, lab testing, shipping and the most common form of medication for that therapy. To help accomplish this, each membership option on the site has a chart explaining what’s included and how that Folx plan compares to competitors, out-of-pocket costs and insurance. “Until then, we are just trying to be as transparent as possible about costs.” “Our long-term goal is to take on insurance companies once we are big enough and have enough power to do so,” Steinle adds.

When asked about this directly, Morgan Cheatham, a Folx Board Member, responded by saying that Folx launched as a self-pay, direct-to-consumer service to “restore agency and autonomy for members” and “reduce gatekeeping often caused by insurance.” And it hopes to offer more at-home lab kits in the future (it currently only has one for PrEP).īut the elephant-sized wallet in the room? Folx doesn’t accept health insurance, which many in the LGBTQ+ community argue goes against the company’s claim to make care more accessible. While Folx is currently only available in 33 states-mainly due to the slow process of getting new clinicians licensed-Steinle says they should be in all 50 states by the end of the year, an expansion that will especially benefit those in rural areas.įolx is also working to expand their services to include behavioral health, fertility and family building, STI testing and treatment, and urgent care.

Your clinician knows your affirming name, knows the type of care you need and can have your medication sent directly to you.” “We’ve been able to create a more efficient model in which getting care is empowering, not foreboding. “People don’t have to go to a health center or pharmacist where they might be misgendered or mistreated,” Steinle says. After that, a prescription (with automatic refills) will be sent to your local pharmacy, or you can have it delivered right to your door. To get started, individuals fill out an intake form-“we only ask questions specific to the therapy you want nothing unnecessary or invasive,” Steinle adds-pick the plan they want and schedule an initial consultation with a licensed clinician. “At the ground level, we’re a telehealth company that offers virtual care,” says Kate Steinle (she/her), the chief clinical officer at Folx. If you visit the Folx website, you’ll be greeted with affirming messages-such as “we believe healthcare is about our lives, not just about diagnosis”-a library of queer and trans health resources and four membership-based plans to choose from: estrogen, testosterone, PrEP and erectile medication. Breitenstein (she/they), Folx Health is a venture capital-backed company that has been dubbed the first major digital health care service provider solely for LGBTQIA+ individuals, covering treatment and support related to hormone therapies, sexual health, fertility and other issues that are often not well understood by mainstream medical providers. Launched in December 2020 by entrepreneur A.G. One in three transgender people have reported having to educate their own doctors to receive appropriate care, according to the State of the LGBTQ Community in 2020 study, while 62% are worried about being judged because of their sexual orientation or gender identity, one in two have experienced mistreatment by their provider and 28% postpone or avoid medical care altogether.įortunately, there’s been a recent surge in direct-to-consumer telehealth platforms designed specifically for this community. Indeed, the LGBTQ+ community is often met with barriers when it comes to their health-access to care, discrimination, ignorance, cost. “It wasn’t him per se … it was his staff and our health care system,” Kage wrote Millie via Facebook messaging. For about 12 years, Jonas Kage, a transgender man living in Ohio, had issues getting the hormone replacement therapy (HRT) he needed from his provider.