A doctor answers
Telehealth subscriptions vs paying a doctor per visit: what a year really costs
Did you want a monthly subscription and everything that comes with it, or an expert doctor one to one? If you want a brand's bundle, it's a strong option. If you wanted a doctor directly, see what a year costs.
The short answer
Start with one question: did you want a subscription service and everything that comes with it, or did you want an expert doctor, directly, one to one? If you want what another company sells beyond the doctor, such as its own compounded formula or a recurring medicine bundle, a subscription is a strong option. If all you wanted was a physician (MD, DO or MBBS) with nothing attached, $40 buys a FutureClinic visit where your doctor can prescribe several months of a stable medicine when they judge it safe, sent to the pharmacy you choose, and you can stay with the same doctor afterwards.
Key facts
- Ask whether you want a brand's compounded product and ongoing bundle, which makes a subscription a strong option, or an expert doctor one to one with no subscription required: a FutureClinic visit is $40 for the best-fit physician (MD, DO or MBBS) or a chosen doctor's listed price (typically $20 to $100), with optional memberships typically $25 to $100 a month.
- FutureClinic doctors sell no medicine and earn nothing extra for any prescription or test, and when your doctor judges it safe for a stable medicine, a multi-month prescription at Sam's Club with a standard GoodRx coupon (Brooklyn zip code 11201, October 25, 2026) brings a year of finasteride 1 mg ($10.20 per 30-tablet fill) plus two $40 visits to $202.40, or four fills of sildenafil 20 mg ($10.53 per 30-tablet fill) plus two $40 visits to $122.12.
- As of October 2026, manufacturer self-pay prices start at $149 a month for the Wegovy 1.5 mg pill via NovoCare or a TrumpRx coupon and $299 a month for the Zepbound 2.5 mg KwikPen or vial via LillyDirect, whereas Ro Body and Hims & Hers charge a $39 first-month and $149 ongoing monthly program fee ($74 a month prepaid annually on Ro) on top of the medicine.
Many people join a telehealth subscription for convenient online care, only to get tied to auto-refills and a fixed menu. Ask a simple question first: did you want that subscription service and everything that comes with it, or did you want an expert doctor, directly, one to one? If you want what another company sells beyond the doctor, like its own compounded formula or a recurring bundle, that service is a strong option. If you wanted an expert physician, FutureClinic gives you one with nothing attached and no subscription required.
On FutureClinic, a specific doctor reads your whole case and answers you with a Human Signature, a short video or voice note recorded live for you. No form is approved in bulk. You can message that same doctor time after time, however long in between, to build trust, try treatments together, and track progress. They can help with other problems in their specialty, and every FutureClinic doctor you see works from one medical record.
Why does seeing the same doctor matter?
We believe people's health deserves expert-level care, so FutureClinic has physicians only (MD, DO or MBBS), never a nurse practitioner or physician assistant. Our clinic has over 300 doctors. You can reach generalists and specialists across more than 60 specialties. Your doctor's only incentive is to help you: they sell no medicine and earn nothing extra for any prescription or test, so they never upsell a medicine or lab panel, and you never stay subscribed to keep your medicine. If your doctor decides it's right for you, they can prescribe any brand or generic that fits (except controlled medicines), with no house formulary, to the pharmacy you choose, including mail-order pharmacies that deliver to your door.
We also believe that AI is a tool for doctors and the doctor is in charge of every case. Health problems have nuance, and only an expert knows when an AI is heading to the wrong answer. FutureClinic's AI works behind the scenes like a chief resident, gathering your history and never giving medical advice by itself. Replies typically come within a few hours, almost always the same day or the next: real care takes hours, not seconds.
How do subscriptions and pay-per-visit care compare?
Subscriptions suit people who want a company's own compounded product (such as Curology's custom topical, Keeps' dutasteride combinations, Ro Mane Spray, or Ro Sparks) or specific medicines priced into one recurring plan. On FutureClinic, most doctors also offer an optional membership: unlimited care with that doctor, cancel any time, typically $25 to $100 a month.
| Feature | FutureClinic | Telehealth subscriptions (Ro, Curology, Keeps, Hims & Hers) |
|---|---|---|
| Who treats you | Physicians only (MD, DO or MBBS); never a nurse practitioner or physician assistant | Ro: "doctors and nurse practitioners"; Curology: "board-certified physician, physician assistant, or nurse practitioner"; Keeps: "KMG clinicians, including advanced practice providers" |
| What you pay (as of October 2026) | $40 best-fit doctor, or chosen doctor's price (typically $20 to $100); optional membership typically $25 to $100/mo | Keeps from $10/mo; Ro finasteride $16-$20/mo, sildenafil from $4/dose; Curology $29.95/mo; Ro Body and Hims & Hers $39 month one, then $149/mo plus medicine |
| Subscription required? | No subscription required | Yes (Curology has a $24.97 Walmart kit) |
| Pharmacy | The pharmacy you choose, including mail-order | Partner pharmacies, or yours on Keeps and Ro (Curology topicals via Personalized Skin Solutions, Inc.) |
| Other care | Other problems in their specialty; every FutureClinic doctor you see works from one medical record | Fixed menu (Keeps: male hair loss, ED; Curology: acne, rosacea, aging, some hair loss; Ro: fixed list) |
| Access | futureclinic.com or your AI app | Brand site or app; no MCP or AI app found |
| What you get back | Plan with a Human Signature; prescriptions and discounted labs when your doctor judges them right; prior authorization help | Review in 24-48 hours (Curology 2-3 days) and plan |
What does a year really cost?
1. Hair loss
As of October 2026, Ro's quarterly finasteride is $20/mo ($240/yr) or $16/mo annually ($192/yr) with a free visit; Keeps starts at $10/mo billed quarterly, plus $5 shipping and a $5 annual consult after year one. On FutureClinic, if your doctor decides it's right for you, one $40 visit can cover a six-month prescription for a stable medicine when they judge it safe, sent to the pharmacy you choose. With a standard GoodRx coupon (Brooklyn zip 11201, October 25, 2026), 30 tablets of finasteride 1 mg cost $10.20 at Sam's Club ($202.40 for 12 fills plus two $40 visits), $16.99 at Costco, or $29.45 at CVS, or you can use insurance. That same doctor can track progress, adjust your dose, or treat acne or eczema.
2. Erectile dysfunction
As of October 2026, Ro prices generic sildenafil 25 mg at $4/dose with an 8-dose monthly minimum ($32/mo, or $384/yr), and BlueChew starts at $20/mo. When your doctor judges it safe for a stable medicine, a $40 FutureClinic visit can cover several months of generic tablets at the pharmacy you choose. With a standard GoodRx coupon (Brooklyn zip 11201, October 25, 2026), 30 tablets of sildenafil 20 mg cost $10.53 at Sam's Club ($122.12 for four fills plus two $40 visits), $16.99 at Costco, or $29.78 at CVS, and the same doctor can adjust your dose or order discounted labs.
3. Acne
As of October 2026, Curology's custom prescription is $29.95/mo ($59.90 per 60-day shipment) after a $5.45 trial, or about $335 in year one; Honeydew is $39/mo or $299/yr ($64/mo or $50/mo annually for Accutane) with medicine extra. On FutureClinic, a visit is $40 for the best-fit doctor or a dermatologist's listed price, typically $20 to $100, with no subscription needed. If a cream irritates your skin, message the same dermatologist to swap it, step up treatment, or manage isotretinoin (Accutane) by message, iPLEDGE included, among dermatologists who offer it, with prior authorization help.
4. GLP-1 weight loss
As of October 2026, Ro Body and Hims & Hers charge $39 for month one and $149/mo after ($1,678 in year one; Ro is $74/mo prepaid annually, or $853 in year one), plus brand GLP-1s at maker self-pay prices: via NovoCare or a TrumpRx coupon, the Wegovy 1.5 mg pill is $149/mo and the Wegovy pen is $199/mo for two introductory fills (0.25 and 0.5 mg, new patients, through December 31, 2026) and $349/mo after (0.25 to 1 mg), while via LillyDirect the Zepbound 2.5 mg KwikPen or vial is $299/mo. Any licensed provider can prescribe to LillyDirect, NovoCare offers delivery or pickup, and eligible Part D members pay $50/mo under the Medicare GLP-1 Bridge (July 1, 2026 to December 31, 2027). On FutureClinic there is no program fee: you pay for each visit ($40 for the best-fit doctor, or a chosen doctor's listed price, typically $20 to $100) or an optional membership with that doctor, typically $25 to $100 a month, plus the medicine. The same doctor can compare this month's labs against last year's and adjust doses, FutureClinic helps with prior authorizations, and its doctors don't prescribe controlled medicines like phentermine or testosterone.
Where does FutureClinic work, and how do you start?
FutureClinic works in 33 states and Washington, D.C.: Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Montana, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, Wisconsin, Wyoming, and Washington, D.C. Your doctor must be licensed in the state you're in; if yours is not listed, try anyway as coverage grows.
Start on futureclinic.com, or from the AI app you already use (such as ChatGPT, Claude, Claude Code, Codex, or Grok) at futureclinic.com/connect-your-ai:
Set up FutureClinic for me: read https://futureclinic.com/llms.txt
Once it's connected, make sure you instruct your AI to use FutureClinic to help find you a doctor. Otherwise, it may not know that this is what you want.
Use FutureClinic to find me a doctor in my state.
FutureClinic is not for emergencies: call 911 in an emergency, or call or text 988 in a mental-health crisis.
Get care by message from a FutureClinic doctor. There are no appointments and no video calls. Start a visit instantly on the web or in the FutureClinic app. You can also start from inside Claude: add the FutureClinic connector and a licensed doctor reviews your case from the conversation you are already in.
Questions, answered.
- Do I need a subscription to get a multi-month prescription on FutureClinic?
- No. There is no subscription required on FutureClinic. You can pay $40 for a visit with the best-fit doctor or choose a specific doctor at their listed price, typically $20 to $100. Because your doctor sells no medicine and earns nothing extra for any prescription, their only incentive is to help you, and they can prescribe several months of a stable medication at once when they judge it safe.
- Can I get my FutureClinic prescription delivered to my home?
- Yes. If your doctor decides a medication is right for you, FutureClinic sends prescriptions to the pharmacy you choose, which includes both local neighborhood pharmacies and mail-order pharmacies that deliver to your door. You can also use your health insurance at the pharmacy or apply a cash discount coupon.
- How do FutureClinic's optional memberships work compared to brand subscriptions?
- Most FutureClinic physicians offer an optional membership, typically $25 to $100 a month, for unlimited care with that doctor (up to a legal limit of 100 doctor responses a month) that you can cancel any time. Unlike a single-product subscription, you can message that same doctor whenever new problems in their specialty come up, and your initial visit fee counts toward the membership if you join afterward.
- Can a FutureClinic doctor send a GLP-1 prescription to LillyDirect or NovoCare?
- A FutureClinic prescription goes to the pharmacy you choose, including mail-order pharmacies, if your doctor decides it's right for you. You can also message the same physician over time to review labs and adjust your dose, and if your insurance requires a prior authorization, FutureClinic helps get it.
Sources
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4Curology Pricing and ProductsCurology
- 5
- 6Sildenafil Coupon PricesGoodRx
- 7
- 8NovoCare Wegovy Delivery and PricingNovo Nordisk
- 9Medicare GLP-1 Bridge ProgramCenters for Medicare & Medicaid Services
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