Opening up about erectile dysfunction (ED) can take a great deal of courage. It can often be difficult to talk about your sexual health, especially when it relates to your overall mental health. ED can increase stress, negatively affect your relationships, lower your self-esteem, and cause or exacerbate anxiety. While this may seem overwhelming, identifying your symptoms and seeking help is the first step toward treatment.
“Keep in mind that health care professionals are well-equipped to handle these concerns discreetly and with sensitivity. Seeking assistance represents a proactive stride towards enhancing your overall health and well-being,” says Lemeita Smith, director of clinical services at United Health Services.
If you don’t want to wait for an in-person appointment or are hesitant to talk to your usual primary care doctor about your ED symptoms, telehealth platforms like PlushCare make it easy to schedule an online appointment.
After researching PlushCare, we think it can provide valuable and prompt care for erectile dysfunction. Read more about the deep dive we took into PlushCare’s platform to discover what makes it stand out and what it could improve.
Why HelpGuide cares about sexual wellness
Four out of 10 men in their 40s experience erectile dysfunction, and it becomes more common with age. We know this can lead to performance anxiety, concerns about intimacy, tension in a partnered relationship, low self-esteem, depression, stress, and even increased absenteeism at work.
“All of these things have been described in patients that I’ve seen and treated with erectile dysfunction,” says Fenwa Milhouse, a board-certified urologist and CEO of Down There Urology. “Feeling less of a man, feeling less worthy, feeling less like an individual, and the person they once were.”
If you are one of the many who are experiencing these symptoms, there’s nothing to be ashamed about. And you’re certainly not alone. We, the Handbook Team, want to shed light on ED to help you feel comfortable addressing this highly treatable condition. Ignoring ED means ignoring the ongoing impact on your physical and mental health—and it may only get worse over time.
The relationship between these mental health conditions and ED can be cyclical. ED can be a source of considerable anxiety and stress for individuals, leading to a self-perpetuating cycle where the fear of experiencing ED again exacerbates the problem.
Rhiannon John, certified sexologist
Fortunately, there are solutions. Oral medications for ED, such as Viagra (sildenafil) and Cialis (tadalafil), are now available in generic forms, making erectile dysfunction treatment far more affordable than it was even five or six years ago. The recent increased popularity of online telehealth platforms also means you can request a prescription for ED medication without needing to visit a doctor or pharmacy in person. This is a solution for people who may feel embarrassed discussing their sexual health with a doctor or collecting this prescription at the pharmacy, and it’s also safer than turning to “gas station” remedies. These are unregulated supplements often found in dispensers inside the bathrooms of gas stations, and they have been known to contain hidden ingredients.
But not all of these platforms use the same screening process, charge the same prices, or let you directly message your provider. We don’t want you to feel frustrated and hampered by low-quality platforms or misled by false information on the internet. We want to make it easy for you to feel like yourself again.
That’s why we mystery shopped at over 25 online ED medication platforms, interviewed more than 20 urologists, sexologists, pharmacists, and psychologists, read dozens of academic journal articles, ran a focus group, and surveyed 360 real people about their experiences with erectile dysfunction. We got really comfortable with this topic and encourage you to do the same by reading our guides and reviews.
HelpGuide Handbook for PlushCare
If you only learn five things about PlushCare, this is what you need to know.
Online primary care appointments with or without insurance.
Appointments available any time of day, any day of the week.
Customer reviews report positive experiences with providers
Platform is easy to navigate.
Customer service is accessible and prompt.
What is PlushCare?
PlushCare is a telehealth platform that provides virtual primary care appointments through their browser and mobile app. PlushCare allows you to schedule an online appointment with a primary care provider any day of the week. You can video chat with your provider in all 50 states, and they are in-network with many major insurance providers, including Aetna, Humana, and United Healthcare. If you don’t have insurance, PlushCare offers appointments for those paying out-of-pocket.
To book an appointment, you will need a PlushCare membership. The membership includes:
- Same-day appointments any day of the week.
- Unlimited messages with your care team.
- Prescription savings of up to 80 percent off.
- Discounts on lab tests.
The best part about the PlushCare membership is that you only need one membership for your entire family. You can have up to five adult members and any number of children on one membership. They also offer online therapy services, which is sometimes a part of ED treatment.
Our research experience
PlushCare is one of 26 telehealth platforms we tested that offer erectile dysfunction prescription medication. We act as mystery shoppers to compare each platform’s screening process, navigation, cost, delivery time, and restrictions. Our testers complete the sign-up process, fill out questionnaires with intentionally problematic answers, click through all educational information, and note available medications and dosages.
To learn about what happens after someone submits their information to a provider on PlushCare and similar platforms, we survey men who have gotten erectile dysfunction medication online. We also run focus groups to get more candid responses about the effects of erectile dysfunction treatment.
To learn more about how we review ED medication platforms and treatments, read our full erectile dysfunction methodology.
Pros and cons of PlushCare for erectile dysfunction
What we like:
- Weekend, evening, and overnight appointments available.
- Same-day appointments available seven days a week.
- Seamless communication with your care team.
- Ability to test your internet connection before your appointment.
What we don’t like:
- Limited search filter options for providers.
- The cost of ED medication is unclear.
- No medication delivery direct to home.
- Provider reviews may not be real.
What we like
The best feature of PlushCare is that they have an abundance of session times every day of the week. Based on our research, one of the most difficult things about telemedicine platforms is the lack of appointment availability, but that isn’t the case for PlushCare. There are numerous appointments at any time of day—even if you’re only available in the middle of the night. Same-day appointments are available as soon as 30 minutes from the start of your search, or you can book an appointment up to three months in advance.
Our interactions with customer service and care team coordinators were positive, and messaging through the website browser and the app was easy.
As a PlushCare user, you can easily communicate with your provider. The estimated response time listed on the website is roughly two to three days. However, we received a response from our coordinator within three hours on one occasion and within twelve minutes on another occasion.
Whenever we reached out to the care team, their responses were prompt and thorough. When we contacted customer service via phone, there was a brief hold period before we were matched with a friendly representative.
Internet or Wi-Fi connection issues are one of the biggest downsides of any telehealth platform. Luckily, PlushCare allows you to test your internet connection before your appointment. Simply click “prepare for appointment” in the app or browser, and the platform will test your microphone and camera connection. Once you’re ready, you can start your appointment.
What we don’t like
While there’s no shortage of providers and appointment times, the process has its inconveniences. The lack of search filter options means you must read through every provider profile to find one you prefer. Profile information is limited. There’s a short description and a list of their education, years of experience, and languages they speak. Since no filter options exist for race, age, or other demographics, it can be difficult to swiftly find a provider matching your preferences.
From our tester
“I’m impressed by the number of available appointment times, but I’m finding it difficult to find a provider that is right for me. I would probably end up choosing one at random, and that’s not how I would like to choose a primary care doctor.”
There are reviews of each provider, but we question the legitimacy of some reviews. They’re overwhelmingly positive; there were no negative or even neutral reviews, and no provider was rated below 4 out of 5 stars at the time of our research. It’s possible that every PlushCare doctor provides quality care, but it’s also possible that these aren’t genuine reviews or that negative reviews are filtered out.
We found third-party reviews more trustworthy. On Trustpilot, patients often expressed that their doctor was attentive, professional, and thorough. The reviews suggest that PlushCare doctors offer quality care by listening to your concerns and determining the best course for treatment.
Another downside is that PlushCare does not provide the option to deliver your medication to your home. Home delivery would allow people with mobility issues and a lack of access to transportation to receive their prescriptions easily without having to go to a pharmacy. GoodRx, another platform we reviewed, is similar to PlushCare and offers home delivery.
PlushCare for ED medication
PlushCare providers can treat erectile dysfunction. They may prescribe medications such as sildenafil (Viagra), tadalafil (Cialis), and vardenafil (Levitra). On their website (www.PlushCare.com), PlushCare provides detailed information on ED, including treatment types, side effects, and a helpful list of frequently asked questions.
All PlushCare appointments are made through the same appointment scheduler, so you don’t need to go to a separate part of the website for ED treatment.
One thing to keep in mind about PlushCare doctors is that they practice family medicine or internal medicine, so they act as primary care providers. A primary care doctor can treat most ED symptoms, but if you have other chronic conditions like diabetes, hypogonadism A health condition where the sex glands don’t produce enough hormone. , or more complex symptoms, then you may need to see a specialist. Specialists are not available through PlushCare.
It’s reasonable to try [telehealth] services if you don’t have a lot of medical issues, but if your problem isn’t promptly resolved, then don’t keep going back and risk having your problem get worse
Karyn Eilber, MD, professor of urology at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center.
Key features of PlushCare
Prescription delivery to your local pharmacy.
Same-day primary care appointments.
Accepts many major insurance providers.
Convenient messaging with your care team.
Available in all 50 states.
How much does PlushCare cost?
The cost of PlushCare largely depends on whether your insurance plan is applicable. PlushCare accepts the following health insurance plans:
- Humana (non-Medicare)
- Aetna
- United Healthcare PPO plans
- BlueCross BlueShield
- Anthem Blue Cross
- Blue Shield of California
- Medi-Cal
PlushCare does not accept Medicare or Medicaid.
All customers must pay a monthly membership fee of $16.99 (or $99 per year). If you use insurance, you will pay a copay for all your doctor visits. The copay will vary depending on your insurance coverage, but most people have a copay of $30, according to the website. If you pay without insurance, your first appointment will cost $129, and any follow-up appointments will cost $99.
There is a discount for veterans and active military members paying without insurance. Each visit will cost $49 per visit. You must first upload a copy of your military ID through the PlushCare app.
Cost of ED medication through PlushCare telehealth
Since PlushCare operates similarly to a traditional in-person office visit, it is difficult to know how much ED medication will cost. Your provider will prescribe your medication and have it sent to your pharmacy. Unless you contact your pharmacy or insurance provider beforehand, you won’t know how much your medication will cost until you pick it up.
To help with costs, PlushCare provides a prescription discount card. You can access the card in the app and show your pharmacist when you pick up your prescription. But this feature isn’t easy to navigate. You must click “Save on prescriptions” on the home screen. From there, you can search for your specific medication and see the prices at nearby pharmacies. We found it a little difficult to dig through the app to find this feature, and it isn’t well advertised on the website.
To test this feature, we searched for ED medications in three different locations and were only given three pharmacy options each time. In comparison, GoodRx provides prescription costs from about 14 pharmacies near you. To give you an idea of what the cost may be with a PlushCare prescription card, we researched the cost of 10 tablets of various ED medications in New Jersey:
- Cialis 5–20mg (10 tablets): $28.41–$32.45
- Tadalafil 5–20mg (10 tablets): $5.39–$31.52
- Viagra 25–100mg (10 tablets): $6.27–$31.39
- Stendra 100 mg (unspecified amount): $74.40–$75.97
While you can view the cost with your PlushCare prescription card, your insurance may provide the medication for a cheaper price. We recommend calling your insurance provider before scheduling an appointment with PlushCare. That way, you have an idea of what the medication will cost before you start the appointment process.
How to use the PlushCare app
The app is user-friendly and easy to navigate for the most part, excluding the prescription discount card feature, which was difficult to find in the app. Four tabs at the bottom of the screen are labeled Home, My Health, Messages, and Help.
The app is user-friendly and easy to navigate for the most part, excluding the prescription discount card feature, which was difficult to find in the app. Four tabs at the bottom of the screen are labeled Home, My Health, Messages, and Help.
Home
From the home page, you can schedule an online doctor’s appointment or therapy session. You can also add your insurance information and access your prescription card.
My Health
The My Health section of the app is quite similar to the Home page. You can access some of the same information that’s available on the Home tab like insurance information and your prescription card. You can also view and edit your scheduled appointments and your pharmacy information, view tests your provider ordered, and any available test results.
Messages
You can seamlessly communicate with the care team, including your provider and care coordinators, through the messages section of the app. You can message the care coordinators anytime if you have a billing, insurance, appointment, or prescription pickup question. If you have a question about your care (lab results, symptoms, medication side effects, etc.), your medical team is available seven days a week from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. PST.
The main downside is that you may have to wait two to three days for a response. While this isn’t ideal, PlushCare does make this clear on their website, so you shouldn’t expect an immediate response. You may receive a response sooner than you anticipate, though. We received a response within three hours after reaching out to our care coordinator.
If you need medical assistance immediately, call 911 or visit a local urgent care or emergency room.
Help
The Help section of the app has a thorough list of frequently asked questions. If you can’t find the answer to your question, you can always message your care coordinator for help or call customer service for immediate assistance. Their phone number is 888-812-1204.
Our final verdict
Ultimately, PlushCare is doing the important things right. Its providers listen to your concerns and provide personalized treatment plans. The appointment times are accessible for most schedules. It’s a reliable platform to receive care quickly for erectile dysfunction, with or without insurance. While its appointment cost without insurance is higher than some other telehealth platforms, it is beneficial to be able to share your membership with your family.
The lack of transparency about ED treatment costs is one downside of PlushCare. You must contact your insurance provider to determine medication costs before you pick up your prescription. You can use PlushCare’s prescription discount card to receive discounts and see the price at pharmacies near you, but this feature is tricky to navigate as we mentioned earlier.
Although ED can cause feelings of shame or embarrassment, getting treatment can make a huge difference in your health and quality of life. “Taking care of your sexual health is a proactive and empowering choice, and you deserve the opportunity to enjoy a fulfilling and satisfying sex life,” says Rhiannon John, a certified sexologist based in Australia. PlushCare can help you get a same-day appointment for your ED to help you with your sexual wellness.
Frequently asked questions
PlushCare is a legitimate telehealth platform. It is accredited by the URAC, an organization that certifies various health care services like pharmacies, health care providers, and hospitals.
A PlushCare membership is $16.99 per month or $99 per year.
PlushCare provides same-day appointments with a virtual primary care or mental health care provider.
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