Health insurance copays aren’t the bargain they used to be, and a growing number of patients are discovering they can sometimes see a clinician for less by skipping insurance entirely. Sesame telehealth is built around this idea: a direct-pay marketplace where you book virtual visits at transparent, upfront prices without involving your insurance company. Entry-level general consultations are often advertised in the range of about $29, which can undercut many insured copays. According to the Kaiser Family Foundation’s annual employer health benefits surveys, average copays for a primary care visit have hovered in the mid-$20s and specialist visits in the mid-$40s in recent years — so Sesame’s pricing can be genuinely competitive even for insured patients. Prices change, so treat any figure here as a starting point and confirm the current rate on the platform. For a broader overview of how virtual care fits into the current landscape, see our complete telehealth guide.
The short version: Sesame is a cash-pay healthcare marketplace — not insurance — where independent providers list virtual (and some in-person) visits at upfront prices. You pay at booking, with no claims, copays, or surprise bills. It shines for the uninsured, people on high-deductible plans who haven’t met their deductible, and anyone whose copay beats Sesame’s cash price. The trade-offs: visits don’t count toward your deductible, quality varies by provider, controlled-substance prescribing is limited, and it is not for emergencies. Prices and services change frequently, so verify the current details on Sesame before you book. This review is informational and is not medical advice or an endorsement.
What Is Sesame and How Does It Work?
Sesame is a healthcare marketplace that connects patients directly with doctors, nurse practitioners, and specialists at pre-set cash prices. Think of it as the online-booking model applied to medicine: providers list their own prices, and patients choose based on cost, ratings, and availability.
Unlike insurance-based telehealth platforms (such as Teladoc, Optum Virtual Care, or MDLIVE), Sesame doesn’t bill your insurer. You pay the listed price at booking, and that’s it — no claims to file and no deductible to satisfy first. This model appeals particularly to uninsured patients, those on high-deductible health plans who haven’t met their deductible, and anyone who finds their insurance copay is higher than Sesame’s cash price.
The marketplace model means Sesame itself doesn’t employ the clinicians. Instead, independent providers create profiles, set their availability, and determine their prices, and Sesame takes a platform fee — similar to how a booking platform connects hosts and guests. This creates price competition among providers, which tends to push prices down. It also means the experience can vary: some providers are excellent, others less so, and part of the responsibility for choosing falls on you.
Important: Sesame is not insurance and is not for emergencies. If you have severe or life-threatening symptoms — such as chest pain, difficulty breathing, signs of a stroke, or a serious injury — call 911 or go to the nearest emergency room rather than booking a virtual visit.
Sesame Telehealth Pricing Breakdown
Pricing is Sesame’s strongest selling point. Because individual providers set their own rates, prices vary and change over time. The figures below are illustrative ranges that reflect the kind of pricing commonly seen for common visit types — always check the live price for your specific service and location before booking:
- General medical consultation: roughly $29 to $49
- Urgent care visit: roughly $39 to $59
- Mental health therapy (45–60 min): roughly $69 to $129
- Psychiatry consultation: roughly $99 to $199
- Dermatology consultation: roughly $59 to $99
- Prescription refill visit: roughly $29 to $39
- Women’s health consultation: roughly $35 to $59
- Weight-loss consultation: roughly $49 to $99
These prices are generally all-inclusive for the visit itself, with the exact amount shown before you book, so you shouldn’t receive a surprise bill weeks later. (Note that add-ons such as lab tests, imaging, or prescriptions you fill at a pharmacy are separate costs.) Compared with the average insured primary-care copay — typically somewhere in the $20-to-$50 range in recent years — the math often favors Sesame, especially for patients who haven’t met their deductible. On a high-deductible plan, you would otherwise pay the full contracted rate (often $100 to $200+ for a specialist visit) until you reach your deductible; Sesame sidesteps that calculation entirely, though its payments don’t count toward the deductible.
Our healthcare costs guide explains how deductibles and out-of-pocket spending affect what you actually pay for care. Understanding this helps you decide whether Sesame’s cash prices or your insurance benefits offer the better deal for each specific visit.
Services Available on Sesame
Sesame’s offerings cover a wide range of medical needs, and the platform also lists in-person visits in select metro markets. On the virtual side, available services generally include:
Primary care and urgent care: Cold and flu, sinus infections, UTIs, allergies, rashes, headaches, digestive issues, and similar common complaints. Providers can diagnose, prescribe appropriate medications, and order lab work through partnering lab networks. For UTI-specific guidance, see our detailed article on getting an online UTI prescription.
Mental health: Individual therapy with licensed counselors and psychologists, plus psychiatry for medication management. Sesame’s therapy rates are often lower than some dedicated subscription-based mental health platforms (such as BetterHelp and Talkspace), and its pay-per-session model means no ongoing subscription commitment. Compare current per-session prices, since both Sesame and its competitors adjust pricing over time.
Dermatology: Live video consultations for acne, eczema, psoriasis, suspicious moles, rosacea, and other skin conditions. Some dermatologists on Sesame also offer asynchronous consultations at lower prices, where you submit photos and receive a diagnosis within a day or two.
Sexual and reproductive health: Birth control consultations and prescriptions, STI testing orders, erectile dysfunction treatment, and UTI treatment. These sensitive topics benefit from the privacy and convenience of telehealth.
Chronic disease management: Follow-up visits for diabetes, hypertension, thyroid conditions, asthma, and other ongoing concerns. This can be especially useful for patients between insurance plans or those whose deductible makes routine visits expensive. Providers can review results, adjust medications, and monitor progress without an in-person visit — though ongoing conditions are usually best coordinated with a consistent primary care clinician.
Lab and imaging orders: Sesame providers can order blood work, urine tests, and imaging studies that you complete at a local lab or imaging center. Some lab tests are available at bundled cash prices through Sesame’s partnerships, which can be cheaper than a plan’s pre-deductible contracted rate — but compare before assuming.
Provider Quality and Experience
One concern patients have about low-cost care is whether quality suffers. Sesame addresses this by displaying each provider’s credentials, board certifications, years of experience, patient ratings, and the number of completed visits on the platform. Many providers on Sesame also practice in traditional healthcare settings and use Sesame to fill open appointment slots or build a direct-pay practice on the side.
Patient reviews are visible on each provider’s profile, and Sesame highlights high average ratings across its platform. Keep in mind that online reviews carry self-selection bias — satisfied patients are more likely to leave a rating. A practical tip is to filter for providers with a solid number of completed Sesame visits and to read recent reviews to get a realistic picture of the experience.
Sesame states that it verifies provider credentials, including medical licenses and board certifications, and that providers must maintain active, unrestricted licenses in the states where they practice. This kind of vetting is broadly comparable to what insurance networks require of participating providers, so the baseline quality floor is similar.
The marketplace model does create variability. Some providers are highly responsive, thorough, and skilled at telehealth communication. Others may move quickly or have a less polished on-camera manner. Being able to read reviews and choose your provider mitigates this risk, but it takes some effort. Once you find a provider you trust, you can typically rebook with them directly for future visits, which supports continuity of care.
Sesame vs. Insurance-Based Telehealth
The choice between Sesame and your insurer’s telehealth platform depends on your financial situation and how you use healthcare.
If your employer plan offers a low- or $0-copay telehealth benefit through a carrier like UnitedHealthcare, Aetna, or Cigna, using that benefit is usually the cheaper option — you can’t beat free. But if you’re on a high-deductible plan and haven’t met your deductible, a roughly $29 Sesame visit can beat paying the $75-to-$150 contracted rate that would otherwise apply toward your deductible.
Sesame also wins on price transparency. You see the exact price before booking, with no ambiguity about what your plan covers, what’s subject to the deductible, or whether the provider is truly in-network. Insurance-based telehealth can occasionally involve surprise bills when a provider turns out to be out-of-network or when a service isn’t covered under a plan’s telehealth benefit.
The trade-off is that Sesame visits don’t count toward your deductible or out-of-pocket maximum. If you’re close to meeting your deductible, it may make strategic sense to use your insurance so those costs accumulate toward your annual limit. This is a real consideration for anyone with a chronic condition who expects to hit their deductible and then enjoy lower cost-sharing for the rest of the year. For more on this calculation, see deductible vs. out-of-pocket maximum.
Another consideration: insurance-based telehealth visits generate records in your insurer’s system, which can support care coordination. Sesame visits are independent, so you’ll want to share records with your primary care provider manually if you want continuity.
Sesame vs. GoodRx Care
GoodRx Care is one of Sesame’s closest competitors in the cash-pay telehealth space. Both serve patients who prefer transparent pricing without insurance involvement, but the models differ in important ways.
GoodRx Care tends to use flat, condition-based pricing, while Sesame’s prices vary by provider. GoodRx often leans on an asynchronous, questionnaire-based model (no live video for some services), which can be faster but less interactive, whereas Sesame commonly uses live video visits, allowing a more thorough evaluation. GoodRx’s integrated prescription-discount coupons are a distinct advantage for medication costs, automatically surfacing a low-cost pharmacy option for many prescriptions.
Sesame generally offers broader services — including specialist consultations, mental health therapy, and chronic disease management — that go beyond a more focused condition list. For ongoing care relationships, the ability to rebook with the same provider is a meaningful advantage. Because both platforms change their pricing and service menus over time, compare the current options for your specific need.
Limitations of Sesame Telehealth
Sesame doesn’t accept insurance. This is a feature for some patients and a drawback for others. If you have generous telehealth benefits, paying cash on Sesame means leaving that benefit unused and getting no credit toward your deductible.
Provider availability varies by state and specialty. While Sesame operates broadly across the U.S. for telehealth, the selection of providers can be thinner in some regions, particularly for specialty care. Urban areas tend to have the widest range of options, with more providers and greater appointment availability.
Controlled-substance prescribing is limited. Like all telehealth platforms, Sesame providers must follow DEA and federal rules on prescribing controlled substances via telemedicine. These rules have continued to evolve, and some medications — including stimulants used for ADHD and certain other controlled drugs — may require an in-person evaluation before they can be prescribed. Check the current requirements, as the regulations are periodically updated.
Sesame visits don’t integrate with your insurer’s care-management programs. If you’re enrolled in a disease-management or wellness program through your insurance, Sesame visits won’t be visible to those programs unless you manually share records.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Sesame accept insurance?
No. Sesame is a cash-pay marketplace. You pay the listed price at booking, and the platform does not bill your insurance. You may be able to submit a superbill (a detailed receipt) to your insurer for possible out-of-network reimbursement, but coverage is not guaranteed and depends on your plan’s out-of-network benefits.
How does Sesame’s pricing compare to GoodRx?
Sesame and GoodRx virtual visits both offer cash-pay telehealth, but their models differ. Sesame is a marketplace where individual providers set prices, often starting around $29 for a general consultation. GoodRx Care typically uses flat rates by condition. Sesame tends to offer more provider choice and broader services, while GoodRx’s prescription-discount integration is a distinct advantage. Compare current prices for your specific visit, since both change over time.
Can Sesame doctors prescribe medication?
Yes. Sesame providers can prescribe most non-controlled medications, including many antibiotics, antivirals, blood pressure medications, thyroid medications, birth control, and antidepressants — when clinically appropriate. Controlled substances are subject to DEA and federal telemedicine rules and may require an in-person visit.
Is Sesame good for mental health care?
Sesame offers competitive cash pricing for therapy and psychiatry, and its rates can undercut some dedicated subscription platforms while being comparable to or cheaper than many insurance copays for behavioral health. The pay-per-session model means no long-term commitment. Verify the current per-session price and provider availability in your state.
Can I see the same provider on Sesame each time?
Yes. Once you find a provider you like, you can generally rebook with them directly through the platform. This helps you build an ongoing relationship and maintain continuity of care, which is particularly valuable for mental health treatment and chronic disease management.
Is Sesame safe to use for a real medical problem?
For appropriate, non-emergency issues, a licensed clinician on Sesame can evaluate you, diagnose common conditions, and prescribe treatment much like any telehealth visit. But telehealth has limits: it can’t perform a physical exam or handle emergencies. For severe or life-threatening symptoms, call 911 or go to the ER. For anything that needs hands-on evaluation, expect a referral for in-person care.
The Bottom Line
Sesame telehealth is a strong option for patients who want transparent, low-cost virtual care without the complexity of insurance billing. It’s particularly valuable for uninsured patients, those on high-deductible plans who haven’t met their deductible, and anyone whose insured copay exceeds Sesame’s cash prices. Before your next virtual visit, compare Sesame’s current price for your specific service against your insurance copay and do the math on which route is the better deal — and remember that Sesame is not insurance and not for emergencies. For many patients, especially early in the plan year before deductibles are met, Sesame wins on both price and transparency. This review is for general information only and is not medical advice or a paid endorsement; verify current pricing, services, and provider details directly on Sesame.
Sources
- Sesame (sesamecare.com) — how it works, service listings, and pricing (verify current details)
- Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF) — Employer Health Benefits Survey (average copays)
- U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) — telemedicine prescribing of controlled substances