What is Virtual Primary Care? Telehealth benefits & more | Blog | Oscar | hioscar Blog | Oscar
What is Virtual Primary Care? Telehealth benefits & more
Create a long-term relationship with your telehealth provider.
Benefits Oscar Health Insurance
5 min read
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Primary care delivered through Telemedicine (opens in new tab) is quickly becoming more popular. (In fact, telehealth demand is expected to grow by 64% in 2020 (opens in new tab), across all ages and demographics.) Still, it’s no surprise that many people are nervous to talk to a doctor online. After all, it’s a different way to get care: instead of scheduling in-person visits to doctors’ offices, the doctor comes to you—via video chat, messaging, and phone calls. There’s no waiting room, no hassles, and you’ll save time and money. But can you receive the same quality of care? And will your insurance cover it?
Telemedicine visits can help you with many of the things you’d see an in-person primary care physician for, just over the phone or through video chat. Virtual providers—Medical Doctors, Nurse Practitioners, and Physicians’ Assistants —can treat many things ranging from colds to many types of aches and pains, and they can also refer you to in-person care as needed.
What makes Oscar Virtual Primary Care different?
At Oscar, we’ve always been more than a health insurance company, and for us, Virtual Primary Care is a continuation of our unique approach to health care that fits your life. We’ve built our virtual care just for Oscar members, to meet their unique needs.
Oscar Virtual Primary Care saves you time and money.
As part of your Oscar health plans, our Virtual Primary Care is $0 for unlimited visits. There’s no copay for these visits, period. The Oscar Primary Care Team will be able to manage your care in many of the same ways your in-person provider has - because it’s so much more than just virtual! Each Oscar Primary Care member will receive a vitals monitoring kit so that their virtual provider can check their important health numbers. We will also send someone right to your front door if you need lab work done. All for $0!*
Oscar members can speak to their virtual primary care provider about getting $0 drugs, too. With Oscar Primary Care, all tier 1a and 1b prescription drugs (opens in new tab) are $0 when prescribed by your virtual provider.*
But how does telemedicine work for labs and similar care? Your providers can order lab work and imaging for you, too. Visits include the same important followup services you’d get with an in-person provider, all at $0 – $0 labs, $0 durable medical equipment, $0 imaging (like mammograms and x-rays), $0 tier 1a and 1b drugs, and $0 for initial specialist visits when referred by your Virtual Primary Care provider – that’s the first visit for a specialist each time your provider recommends seeing one, such as for a health issue you weren’t previously getting speciality care for.* You know exactly what you’re paying for your care upfront, so planning for your health lines up with planning for your wallet.
It can save you time, too.
With a conventional doctor’s visit, patients are often frustrated by how long they have to wait for appointment availability, how much time they spend filling out paperwork and sitting in waiting rooms, and how little face time they get with their provider. Then there’s the travel time, to and from the office visit, plus going to a pharmacy if a prescription is needed.
With our Virtual Primary Care, things couldn’t be easier: just open the Oscar App and tap “Book a virtual visit” to find an appointment time that fits your schedule. On the day of your appointment, you can simply join on your phone or computer. No driving, subway, or bus time, no waiting rooms.
And if something urgent comes up – because life happens – you can talk to an Oscar Virtual Urgent Care (opens in new tab) provider in as little as 15 minutes through your account or the Oscar App (opens in new tab). And like all the Oscar Care benefits, these urgent telehealth visits cost you nothing on most Oscar plans.**
When can I start booking primary care telehealth visits with Oscar?
Plus, with features like Virtual Primary Care, you’ll never get stuck in between your insurance plan and your provider, and you won’t be faced with surprise costs because it works seamlessly with your health plan. There’s no fine print, no worries: is this covered by my insurance company? We are your insurance company, so we know you and your medical history. We’ve got you covered.
Learn more.
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Oscar Virtual Primary Care | Video
Oscar Virtual Primary Care providers are employed by Oscar Medical Group and are not employed by Oscar Insurance.
In 2021, Oscar Virtual Primary Care will only be available to Oscar members on individual & family plans in Miami, FL, Fort Lauderdale, FL, Palm Beach, FL, Houston, TX, Dallas, TX, Austin, TX, Los Angeles, CA, Orange County, CA, Denver, CO, and New York, NY, pending regulatory approval.
*Some exclusions apply, including:
Prescriptions, labs, and diagnostic imaging orders arranged virtually are at the discretion of the provider. Other exclusions apply.
Free specialist referrals only apply to first visits when referred by an Oscar Virtual Primary Care provider. Ongoing visits with specialists referred to prior are subject to normal cost-sharing on the member’s Oscar plan.
Not available in CA at $0 through Oscar Virtual Primary Care: $0 Tier 1 prescriptions, DME, labs, imaging orders, initial specialist referrals, and in-home services, e.g. in-home lab draws.
$0 vitals in-home lab draws not available in all markets. Exclusions apply.
** Virtual Urgent Care services, e.g. $0 Tier 1 prescriptions and labs, are available in most markets. Some exclusions apply. If you're away from home, this benefit is not available in US territories or internationally.
Prescriptions, labs, and diagnostic imaging orders arranged virtually are at the discretion of the provider. Some exclusions may apply, e.g. in-person visits before certain medications can be prescribed.
If you have an HSA-compatible high-deductible health plan or a Secure plan, you won't be eligible for $0 follow-up services.
