PlushCare Review 2026: Pros & Cons, Cost, & Who It’s Right For

PlushCare is a telemedicine platform that offers same-day appointments for primary, urgent, and mental health care. Services are available nationwide, making it convenient to access wherever you are. PlushCare offers therapy sessions costing $169 and initial psychiatry appointments costing $129, though it’s in-network with many major insurance plans so copays could be far less. PlushCare also provides doctor visits for urgent care, medication refills, and weight loss, starting at $129.

An optional $19.99 monthly membership with PlushCare gives users access to extras like prescription discount cards, unlimited messaging with providers, and exclusive discounts on lab tests. The first month of the membership is free for users to test out and can be canceled any time.

Detailed Review of PlushCare

PlushCare is a telehealth platform that offers same-day appointments for those seeking urgent care, medication prescriptions or refills, and mental health care. Mental health care services provide therapy and medication management to those 18 years and older. Costs range from $129 for psychiatry to $169 for a 45-minute therapy session. Insurance is accepted for all services except therapy, but note that PlushCare is only in-network with a handful of plans, so be sure to make sure your provider is covered if you plan on using insurance.

Based on our quantitative multi-point scoring criteria, PlushCare scored 3.5 out of 5 stars during our most recent review. Our scoring criteria measure 30+ metrics across 13 categories, ranging from quality of user experience to therapist vetting and experience, and more. While we think PlushCare could be incredibly convenient for many seeking care from home, it’s lacking in insurance coverage, and its cash-pay prices are higher than some of its competitors.

PlushCare Earned 3.5 Out of 5 Stars

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Detailed Scoring Breakdown

Clientele Served (4 out of 5)

Range of Therapist Specialties & Treatment Approaches (3 out of 5)

Geographic Location (5 out of 5)

Attending Live Video Sessions (3 out of 5)

Online Therapy Cost (2 out of 5)

Insurance & Out-of-Network Benefits (2 out of 5)

Therapist Matching or Selection (3 out of 5)

Extra Features & Resources (2 out of 5)

Client Interface & User Experience (4 out of 5)

Privacy & HIPAA (5 out of 5)

Therapist Credentials & Expertise (5 out of 5)

Customer Service (3 out of 5)

Reliability & Longevity (5 out of 5)

Review our scoring criteria for online therapy platforms here.
Review our complete editorial policies here.

Quick & Accessible Healthcare

Users can often find same-day appointments, especially for doctors and urgent care, and providers are available for evening and weekend appointments. Plus, your membership benefits can cover up to five family members. You may choose a doctor or therapist based on your preferences, like how long they’ve been practicing or their unique specialties. It is important to note that you must select a provider in the state you are physically located in.

You can message your therapist any time through the site’s messaging center if you need to reschedule a session or contact your clinician. PlushCare can prescribe an array of medications for anxiety and antidepressants, including SSRIs, SNRIs, tricyclic antidepressants (TCAs), and monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOIs)—notably, providers cannot prescribe controlled substances through PlushCare. Prescriptions can be sent to a local pharmacy near you. You can sign up for a prescription discount card that can save up to 80% whether you use insurance or pay out-of-pocket.

Therapy

PlushCare offers virtual therapy appointments to individuals 18 years and older. Services are available nationwide and you can choose from several different therapists based on your criteria. A 45-minute therapy session costs $169.

PlushCare provides therapy from licensed mental health professionals. Picking a provider is easy and you only need to answer a few questions prior to booking your appointment. There is a three-question assessment to begin, which discusses past mental health related hospitalizations, thoughts about self-harm or suicide, and if you are experiencing any physical symptoms of withdrawal when attempting to cut down on alcohol or drug use.

You will then get to select your therapist by choosing from several different criteria. The selection can be limited, so the drawback is there may not be a therapist who serves your area that meets all your specifications. If you feel your therapist is not the right fit, you can request a change.

Individual therapy sessions are approximately 45 minutes long. You and your therapist can speak and determine the frequency of sessions. Given that the site handles mostly non-urgent, less severe cases, you’ll likely see your therapist once a week or less, depending on what you both decide.

While I did not have an opportunity to use the platform myself, the website lays out pretty clearly how to begin therapy as soon as possible. Oftentimes there can be barriers to care, such as countless questions on forms or deciding on what provider to choose. The site does streamline many of these issues making it easy to get started right away.

Psychiatry

PlushCare offers virtual psychiatric appointments to individuals 18 years and older. Psychiatric appointments are covered under insurance and your plan will determine the copay for which you are responsible. If you are not using insurance, the cost is $129 for an initial session and $99 for follow-up sessions. It is important to note that only certain medications and conditions are treated with PlushCare—controlled substances such as stimulants, mood stabilizers, and antipsychotics are not prescribed.

Psychiatry appointments are set in 15-minute increments, and as they fall under medical appointments, they are covered under insurance with PlushCare. As is the case with other medical services, the insurance plan you have determines the cost of your required copay.

You can choose from several different doctors but it is likely that the clinician is not someone who specializes in mental health medication, as the site tends to use general practitioners. There was no option to choose a psychiatrist, but only someone in family or general medicine.

Weight Loss

PlushCare also offers care for weight loss management and other metabolic disorders. First, your PlushCare provider will work with you to make helpful behavioral and lifestyle changes. In addition to this counseling, PlushCare can prescribe weight loss medications, including Saxenda, Xenical, Wegovy, Zepbound, and Contrave, when deemed clinically appropriate.

Insurance is accepted, but not required, for this service.

Sexual Health

In addition to its more general offerings, PlushCare also provides sexual health-related medications, including birth control, erectile dysfunction medication, pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP), and treatment for sexually transmitted infections. PlushCare hosts many providers with specializations in sexual health and can discretely and comfortably help with a wide range of sexual issues from the comfort and privacy of your home.

Cost & Insurance

PlushCare costs $169 for a 45-minute therapy session. Psychiatry costs $129 for an initial appointment and $99 for follow-up appointments. PlushCare also offers a $19.99  monthly membership fee (or $149 annually) if you want to use the other services on the website, such as unlimited messaging with your care team and discounts on medications and lab work. Users who sign up get a free month of the membership, so if you’re interested in obtaining multiple forms of healthcare through PlushCare, it could be worth checking out if these extra services would be helpful.

PlushCare also takes a handful of insurance plans, including: Aetna, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Cigna, Anthem Blue Cross, Blue Shield of California, Tricare, Humana, and Medi-Cal. It does not accept Medicaid at this time. While insurance likely won’t cover the membership fee, if you have in-network insurance,  your visit fees could be substantially lower.

User Reviews for PlushCare

Online user reviews for PlushCare are very positive overall. The consistent issues people face are problems with customer service and isolated billing issues. It seems a recurring theme that users are unhappy with PlushCare’s customer service team, especially when dealing with complicated issues.

It’s important to remember that, with PlushCare, user reviews may not specifically be focusing on mental health services exclusively, as PlushCare offers many medical services.

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