Are you struggling to receive proper healthcare as an American resident without insurance or insurance with super high deductibles? Sesame Care could be the perfect platform for you.
It is also the winner of Fierce Healthcare’s Fierce 15 of 2023. Let’s get to the details to help you understand how Sesame Care addresses costly, ineffective healthcare by providing easy access to top-rated medical professionals in America without any insurance plan.
About Sesame Care
Sesame Care is a New York-based healthcare company with an A+ rating by the Better Business Bureau (BBB). It was established in 2019 by the Leapfrog Group chair, comprising of an advocate striving for full transparency in healthcare in the US, David Goldhill, and supported by Michael Botta, a Ph.D. in Health Economics Policy from Harvard.
John Fontein, ex-General Manager at GoEuro, is also one of the leading co-founders of Sesame Care and is responsible for operations and business growth.
The platform not only offers assistance in mental healthcare without insurance but also aims to affordably and also address a wide range of health problems, including women’s health, sexual health, dermatology, dentistry, pediatrics, erectile dysfunction, urgent care, and more.
It claims that it is an all-inclusive system with all the health specialists in one place set up to save you many dollars by offering half-priced healthcare services.
The platform is touted to be America’s only superstore of doctors specializing in both primary and complex healthcare.
Sesame Care Review 2023
Sesame Care does have quite a lot of mixed, mostly negative reviews on websites like Better Business Bureau and Trustpilot, getting the platform a score of 2.19 out of 5. So, I will cover both the pros and cons to help you make the right decision.
Here is my honest review. Read it with an open mind!
1. How Does it Work?
With Sesame Care, I was able to set up my ideal care team of providers specializing in a wide range of medical fields. I was impressed and equally surprised at how low-cost yet complete and holistic the whole offering was.
I personally feel that with regard to cost and the overall business model accommodating all the experts under one roof, Sesame Care has managed to hit the nail on the head.
But if you are not lucky enough, you can face quite a lot of scheduling and payment issues along with unprofessional approaches by some doctors.
Unfortunately, it all boils down to the provider you are assigned, which in my opinion, is a very big turn-off. Some may be responsive, but there are complaints floating around on the internet that talk about disappointing experiences regarding this.
There are 50 providers available in every field of expertise, such as urgent care, telehealth, dermatology, prescription refills, and so on. For mental health services, the platform has about 40 providers. And the dermatology services are only restricted to the residents of New York City, New York.
I had the option to switch my current location on the website itself. By default, it is set to New York City. I do not have to compulsorily log in to see the list of licensed providers available on Sesame Care which is very convenient.
I was able to easily review their profiles, the rates, and the corresponding plan I needed to pay for, access the free slots put up on the website, and book a suitable specialist as per my needs in minutes.
Steps for Booking a Provider
In a nutshell, the process of booking a provider is short and simple:
- Selected my current location
- Looked for the specific healthcare service on the website. Mine was mental healthcare/psychiatry services
- Reviewed the list of providers related to the service I requested and picked the one that best met my requirements
- I could set multiple filters to narrow down the list as per my needs, such as the language (English, Gujarati, and Hebrew are available for now), gender of the specialist, provider specialty such as counseling/therapy, psychology, psychiatry, etc., the type of appointment whether online, in-person, or any other mode, and the credentials of the provider such as LCSW, LMFT, LMHC and so on
- Scheduled an appointment based on the free time slots available
- Provided all my details, including payment information
- Paid and booked my consultation
For getting brand-new prescriptions or prescription refills, a similar process needs to be followed.
In this case, the filters will also change accordingly. I could choose from a wide range of doctor credentials like MD, NP, FNP, DO, APRN, DNP, PA, and more belonging to several specialties such as Internal medicine, family medicine, adult health, dermatology, obstetrics, and so on.
This needs a special mention. I observed that there are a good number of multi-lingual prescription providers speaking Spanish, Arabic, Hindi, French, Korean, Nepali, Russian, Farsi, Creole, Bengali, Italian, Punjabi, Chinese, Armenian, Gujarati, Mandarin, English, Urdu, Ukrainian, Tagalog and Vietnamese.
I was incredibly impressed with the diversity and inclusivity here! Definitely, a big problem solved for those who are not fluent enough in English.
2. Pricing/Affordability
There are no hidden fees, and the pricing will depend on various factors or criteria set while scheduling an appointment with a particular practitioner.
The platform claims that it provides top-notch, affordable healthcare starting as low as $29 USD.
For one-time consultations or visits, your cost will differ based on the doctor chosen and the other requirements. However, you also have the option to purchase the Sesame Plus membership that covers primary care, dentistry, imaging, labs, telehealth, and more.
The Sesame Plus plan costs $99 USD per year or $10.99 USD per month. These prices are subject to change based on the location in the US. For example, the basic cost of a video therapy session would be around $62, or a prescription refill is worth $29 USD.
More than 120 such services can be accessed at economical prices with the membership package.
3. Insurance Coverage
Sesame Care services are not covered by any insurance plans or carriers. But the yearly/monthly membership plan has been recently introduced to make healthcare more affordable and seamless by providing access to heavy discounts on specialized services.
With the Sesame Plus membership, you can even get unlimited access to the Sesame concierge, which helps you connect with the right practitioners through its offline network if you are unable to find the right specialist for yourself.
4. Accessibility
There are a set number of specialists available in every state/city/region of the US. Before the search process begins, it is advisable to set the current location so the listings have practitioners practicing in your place of residence.
You can check out the website footer for more details. There is an exhaustive list of online doctors specializing in different departments such as UTI, weight loss, ADHD, anxiety treatment, and more.
The website also mentions all the primary care doctors, specialties, and pediatricians segregated based on the cities where they practice. So, accessibility of services on Sesame Care will never be an issue.
5. Available Treatments
Sesame Care is a holistic healthcare system, including mental healthcare. The platform is like a hub that consolidates all kinds of services from primary care, urgent care, psychiatry, therapy, prescription refill or management, treatment for sexual health-related problems, dentistry, dermatology, gynecology, UTI, and lots more.
It also provides lab testing, imaging, blood work, MRI, and a host of other services, such as standard health panels, diagnostic ultrasound, etc., all under one roof. This is convenience, accessibility, and affordability taken to the next level.
6. Privacy
According to the Sesame Care privacy policy, the company adheres to standard security measures or protocols to protect the personal data and health information of patients. But what is dicey is that it also mentions upfront that the information, although stored safely, may not be fully secure.
So, sharing of information and personal data should be done at your own risk. This is clearly mentioned in the policy, which I do not appreciate. How do clients trust the services on this platform if their health records are not properly protected?
Moreover, the policy mentions that your personal details could be shared with third-party organizations and affiliates for business purposes or to provide more valuable services to customers. Again, this is disappointing!
7. Pros and Cons
Pros
- Provides inexpensive healthcare services, including counseling, psychiatry, and prescription management, as well as refills
- Exclusive discounts and additional benefits on the membership plan, which is convenient and all-inclusive
- A wide variety of communication channels/modes to talk to your provider’s transparent discussion is encouraged
- Provides lab testing, MRI, Ultrasound, and other diagnostic services saving time and effort
- Extremely flexible appointment scheduling with the option to book slots on the same day
- Prescriptions are home delivered
- You have the option to book online and offline sessions with your providers, and you will be directly in touch with them at all times
Cons
- Negative feedback given by customers citing appointment delays and cancellations
- The pricing varies depending on your place of residence, the specialist chosen, the specialty selected, and other factors
- No insurance coverage is available
- The platform does not accept Medicare and Medicaid either
- Privacy is a major problem as the platform does not ensure full protection of personal information and private patient records
- Different experience with different providers, so there is no consistency in maintaining a particular standard for delivering healthcare services
How Does it Stack Up Against its Competitors?
In terms of pricing, Sesame Care cannot be directly compared with its competitors such as BetterHelp, Talkspace, MDLIVE, or Brightside because the cost is dependent on your provider.
But most competing platforms are way more expensive. BetterHelp does not provide psychiatry, medication management, and complete healthcare or testing services either.
MDLIVE and Brightside are not pocket-friendly, but they only provide mental healthcare services, unlike Sesame Care which is more like an all-in-one platform.
Talkspace and Brightside are strictly dedicated to mental healthcare and even accept insurance. So, they definitely have an edge over Sesame Care in some aspects. If your target is clear and rummaging through an extensive website with over 10,000 doctors and 80 specialties is not your cup of tea, it is better to choose platforms specifically designed for providing mental health treatments.
Conclusion
Sesame Care is not just dedicated to addressing mental disorders. So, if it is too overwhelming for you, this may not be the right platform for you. But the membership offers many benefits, which are great only if you want to reduce your general healthcare costs.
One-time visits are better for anyone with mild to moderate mental issues taking psychiatry sessions on and off. However, if your symptoms are serious and require intensive mental health care, comprehensive long-term treatment, along with medication management, the Sesame Care plan might be more suitable for you.
It is definitely well worth a try, but the privacy aspect is still something to worry about. And at the end of the day, the experiences are mixed based on the specialist assigned. So, I would suggest testing the waters first and booking a few sessions online or offline before arriving at any conclusion.
She is an experienced Clinical Psychologist and Mental Health Writer with a decade of expertise in psychology. Skilled in assessment, therapy, and patient care. Committed to helping individuals through clinical practice and mental health writing at Therapyjourney.co. Passionate about promoting mental well-being and awareness. Open to aligned opportunities.