Short answer: PlushCare is a nationwide, insurance-accepting, primary-care-focused telehealth membership — $19.99/month plus $129 per visit (or ~$30 with insurance). Bidwell is a cash-pay APRN-owned practice in 12 states, $45 flat per visit with no membership. If you have insurance PlushCare accepts and want ongoing primary care, PlushCare is a better fit. If you're uninsured or just need a one-off visit for UTI / ED / refill, Bidwell is dramatically cheaper — $45 total vs $150+ for your first PlushCare visit. Both are legitimate.
PlushCare is one of the larger telehealth services in the U.S., operating nationwide since 2014. It positions itself as a primary-care telehealth platform — patients can schedule virtual visits with board-certified physicians for acute issues, chronic disease management, mental health, and prescription needs. PlushCare accepts insurance from most major carriers including Aetna, Anthem Blue Cross, UnitedHealthcare, Cigna, and Humana, which is unusual for telehealth and a genuine strength.
PlushCare's model is a two-part charge: a monthly membership ($19.99/month, or $14.99/month billed annually, or $99/year) plus a per-visit fee ($129 without insurance, or ~$30 with insurance). Membership doesn't cover visits — you pay both. Visits include primary care, labs, prescription refills, weight loss (GLP-1), mental health, and more.
PlushCare is not a flat-fee service. It's not ideal for one-off visits unless you have insurance it accepts. It's not the cheapest option for a single uninsured UTI or ED script.
Bidwell Health is a small Florida-based APRN-owned telehealth practice founded by Bidwell Cranage, APRN, FNP-C, with Ashley Cranage, APRN, FNP-C, as a second provider. We're licensed in 12 states. Every visit is a flat $45 one-time fee — no subscription, no membership, no auto-renewal. We treat UTIs, BV, yeast infections, ED, hair loss, and prescription bridge refills for stable non-controlled chronic medications.
Bidwell is not primary care. We don't do ongoing chronic-disease management, labs, mental-health initiation, pediatrics, GLP-1, or specialist referrals. We're a focused cash-pay service for a narrow set of problems, not a telehealth PCP replacement.
This is the meaningful difference. PlushCare's model stacks membership and visit fees; Bidwell is just one flat $45 fee. Let's walk through realistic scenarios.
| Scenario | PlushCare | Bidwell |
|---|---|---|
| 1 UTI visit, uninsured | $19.99 + $129 = ~$149 | $45 |
| 1 UTI visit, with accepted insurance | $19.99 + ~$30 = ~$50 | $45 |
| 1 ED visit, uninsured | $19.99 + $129 = ~$149 | $45 |
| 1 bridge refill, uninsured | $19.99 + $129 = ~$149 | $45 |
| Annual: 4 visits, uninsured | $99 annual + $516 visits = ~$615 | $180 |
| Annual: 4 visits, with insurance | $99 annual + ~$120 visits = ~$219 | $180 |
| Ongoing primary care relationship | Designed for this — membership makes sense | Not offered |
PlushCare pricing reflects publicly reported rates as of April 2026 (PlushCare membership page, PlushCare telehealth appointments, Choosing Therapy PlushCare review 2026). Pricing varies by state, insurance status, and promotions.
This is PlushCare's strongest category. If you want a telehealth primary-care physician who can manage your blood pressure, diabetes, cholesterol, annual labs, and routine prescriptions, PlushCare's membership model is designed for that. Same physician continuity, insurance coverage, messaging between visits. Bidwell isn't primary care — we don't compete here.
Bidwell is dramatically cheaper. A one-off visit at PlushCare without insurance is ~$149 (membership + visit fee). The same visit at Bidwell is $45 flat. If you don't have insurance PlushCare accepts and you just need a single visit for a UTI or a refill or an ED script, Bidwell is a better economic fit by a factor of three.
With insurance accepted by PlushCare, a visit is roughly $30 out-of-pocket, plus the $19.99/month membership. First-month total is ~$50. That's slightly more than Bidwell's $45 flat, but if you expect multiple visits per year or want ongoing care, PlushCare's math works better.
Still competitive even with insurance, because there's no membership. $45 once, you're done.
PlushCare has active mental-health prescribing, weight-loss management (including GLP-1 medications like semaglutide and tirzepatide), and ongoing primary care for these categories. Bidwell does not offer any of these.
For a one-off refill of a stable chronic medication you already take — lisinopril, metformin, levothyroxine, an SSRI, a statin — PlushCare costs ~$149 uninsured or ~$50 with insurance + membership. Bidwell's $45 bridge refill is purpose-built for this use case. 90-day prescription, 15 covered medications, no subscription, no membership.
PlushCare is one of the few telehealth services that accepts most major insurance plans. This is a genuine, meaningful strength. If you have an insurance plan PlushCare accepts, your out-of-pocket visit cost drops to around $30 — often less than what you'd pay Bidwell.
Bidwell is fully cash-pay. We do not accept insurance for the visit. That's a deliberate choice — not accepting insurance lets us hold the $45 flat fee and move fast. But it means PlushCare is the right call for insurance holders who want ongoing primary care.
Note: PlushCare's insurance applies to the visit. The $19.99/month membership is not insurance-reimbursable.
PlushCare uses board-certified U.S. physicians — MDs and DOs. Patients can generally select a physician and rebook the same one, supporting continuity. The network is large and physician-led.
Two named APRNs (not MDs), both publicly listed at providers.html with license numbers and state authorizations. APRNs are board-certified nurse practitioners with full prescriptive authority in all 12 states we operate in. It's a smaller-practice model — you get Bidwell or Ashley, and they reviews your intake personally.
PlushCare operates in all 50 states.
Bidwell Health is licensed in 12 states:
If you live outside these 12 states, PlushCare is a practical alternative.
Both platforms are HIPAA-compliant. PlushCare has operated since 2014 with a mature privacy program and is subject to the same federal standards as any telehealth service. Bidwell Health uses HIPAA-compliant Supabase and Stripe infrastructure with signed Business Associate Agreements. Same federal standard.
Pick PlushCare if:
Pick Bidwell Health if:
Yes. PlushCare has operated since 2014 with board-certified U.S. physicians and is HIPAA-compliant. It's one of the better-established telehealth primary-care services in the country.
Because it's a different model. PlushCare charges a membership ($19.99/mo) for ongoing-care benefits plus a per-visit fee ($129 without insurance or ~$30 with). For one-off visits without PlushCare-accepted insurance, you pay both. Bidwell is a flat $45 cash-pay model with no membership — one visit, one price.
PlushCare accepts most major insurers — Aetna, Anthem Blue Cross, UnitedHealthcare, Cigna, Humana, and others. Check plushcare.com with your specific plan. Bidwell does not accept insurance.
Yes, as part of a regular visit. You'd pay the $19.99/month membership plus the $129 visit fee (or ~$30 with insurance). Bidwell's $45 stand-alone bridge refill is usually cheaper for a one-off refill if you're not already a PlushCare member.
Yes — if you live in one of our 12 states. Bring your most recent PlushCare prescription or a photo of your pill bottle, and we can issue a new prescription for the same medication if clinically appropriate. You can keep or cancel your PlushCare membership separately.
Yes for the visit. Medication is a separate pharmacy charge you control. For generics with GoodRx, most bridge-refill medications are $4–$15 for 90 days.
Florida, New York, Virginia, Washington, Arizona, Colorado, Connecticut, Iowa, Maryland, Montana, New Mexico, and Utah. We're expanding over time; state list at states.html.
PlushCare has same- or next-day appointments in most states; visits are typically scheduled video sessions. Bidwell turnaround is usually 15 minutes to a few hours for uncomplicated bridge refills during business hours, with the prescription sent directly to your pharmacy for same-day pickup.