Folx Health launches telemedicine for trans-community

Like many trans-gender men, Samuel K. Davis has always struggled to get the testosterone needed to treat gender dysphoria. He ran into more problems when he moved from California to Florida during a pandemic. Trying to get a new healthcare provider turns into a nightmare. He made an appointment over the phone with a local clinic, answered questions about his health history, talked to a clinician for 10 minutes and paid $ 80, but couldn’t hear any words.

“Two months later, I received a letter from them saying that I had processed my information,” says Davis. He has never received any medicine. For four months, he took no prescription drugs and put them on an emotional roller coaster exacerbated by hormonal fluctuations. “I was at the time I was. Maybe this shouldn’t happen.”

By chance he came across a post on his Instagram account @transguysupply. It mentioned, at least initially, a new online service called Folk Health that promised to connect transgender adults to medical services for free. Through the Folx Health virtual ingestion process, he entered information about his health history. The platform matched him with a clinician named Kate. A week and a half later, he received an injectable testosterone by mail.

“I’m not going to lie — I cried,” says Davis.

Attempting to receive strange and quality medical care can feel like a futile exercise. Going to a traditional primary care provider is a gambling because there is no way to know in advance whether a particular doctor is sensitive to strange health problems or will be completely disabled. This is doubly true for transhealth. Some cities have non-profit health centers, especially for the queer community, but these centers often lack the resources to keep up with demand. The need for weird health care is great and there are few care options. Folx Health has launched a telemedicine service to reach this historically low-participation community in a design-progressive way.

The company raised $ 25 million in a series A round led by Bessemer Ventures. “There are many industries and disciplines that are undervalued and underutilized by the venture community,” said Morgan Chisam, an investor at Bessemer Ventures. “We have seen the power of a healthcare experience to sell directly to consumers. We have seen the opportunity to meet the unique needs of certain people. For me, this was easy.” He states that the queer community is much larger than investors often perceive, accounting for 10% of the US population.

Folx Health is the first incarnation to offer online consultation with a doctor and a prescription for home delivery hormone replacement therapy. Patients pay a monthly fee for access to care starting at $ 59 per month, which depends on the treatment plan. It also provides a variety of online health resources.

“We are about to launch something called” The Library “. This is a set of resources that bridges the gap with the free subreddit that is all available. type If you want to go read the medical literature, visit the Mayo Clinic website for information on what you can do, “said AGBreitenstein, founder and CEO of Folk. “We balance among clinically well-scrutinized information, but it is presented in a way that people can access and use.”

The health library and hormone replacement therapy are just the beginning of the company’s health care line. Soon, Folx will provide treatment for erectile dysfunction, sexually transmitted infections, pre-exposure prophylaxis, and the ability to take laboratory samples at home. This is part of a larger plan to support queer sexual health and wellness and help queer people start a family. The company already lives in 12 states, including California, Florida and New York. Brytenstein said it plans to launch the service in all 50 states by the end of the year.

The company currently operates on a cash-paying subscription model. However, Breitenstein is looking at ways to work with insurance companies in a way that is tailored to Folkx’s care model.

There is good reason to think that insurers are interested in covering products such as Folk Health.Recent Etna Expansion Scope of health insurance including breast augmentation surgery as gender reconfirmation surgery. Insurance companies currently cover gender dysphoria treatments such as gonatomy, mastectomy, breast augmentation, and genital reconstruction. This move shows that Aetna, and perhaps other insurers, are ultimately considering the value of providing quality services to communities that are often left out of traditional healthcare.