HealthTap Review
✔️Fact checked
Published: February 19, 2021
Telehealth services are an increasingly popular way to see a doctor from home whenever it's most convenient for you. HealthTap's app-based service provides 24/7 access to a large network of qualified physicians, dentists, and clinical psychologists. Aside from live consultations, HealthTap features a library of questions answered by doctors that's free for anyone to use, along with an AI-based symptom checker that can guide you toward getting the help you need.
HealthTap physicians work with you to develop a custom treatment plan and provide referrals to specialists when needed. Your complete medical profile is always available in the HealthTap app, allowing you to view lab records, prescriptions, and consultation notes at a glance. Pricing is straightforward — pay one flat charge per consultation or subscribe to the monthly Prime plan, which includes unlimited visits at a discounted rate.
Our review: HealthTap offers almost instant access to a doctor's expertise for one flat consultation fee, so there's never any confusion about what you'll pay per visit.
What You Should Know About HealthTap
Best features
- Clear pricing
- 24/7 health record access
- Doctor-trained AI symptom checker
- Free physician answers library
Drawbacks
- Insurance not accepted for Prime plan
- Prescription costs not included
- Lab referrals/prescriptions for the U.S. only
How Does HealthTap work?
On HealthTap, you receive live consultations with a qualified physician through a computer, tablet, or iPhone/Android mobile device. Visits can cost as low as $30 each with the Prime subscription plan. Insurance may cover some or all of the cost of consultations through the pay-per-visit Basic plan. HealthTap is intended to diagnose and treat common medical issues, including some dental problems and mental health concerns. Doctors can write prescriptions for customers in the United States only.
How do you use HealthTap?
HealthTap is accessed from any desktop or mobile device. Consultations can be provided via video chat or text message, depending on your preferences, although HealthTap recommends video consultations for the best experience and a more accurate diagnosis. The company’s free app is required to use HealthTap on iPhone and Android devices, and Microsoft Edge and Samsung browsers are not supported.
How much does HealthTap cost?
| Appointment type | Price |
| Basic | $80 or copay |
| Prime | $30 per visit, plus $15 per month |
Does insurance cover HealthTap?
HealthTap accepts most major medical insurance for the Basic plan. Insurance may cover part or all of the cost per visit, depending on your specific plan. However, insurance isn’t accepted for the Prime plan, as it doesn’t cover the $15 monthly subscription fee, so patients need to pay for their consultations out-of-pocket.
What does HealthTap treat?
HealthTap virtual consultations can be used for limited primary medical and mental health care, including health information, diagnosis, prescriptions, and treatment plans. Some of the most common medical complaints HealthTap doctors can help with include allergies, infections, headaches, and fever. HealthTap doesn’t offer consultations with specialists, although doctors can provide referrals to specialists in your area if required. HealthTap is not intended to be used for medical emergencies, such as chest pain, severe bleeding, or difficulty breathing.
Can HealthTap write prescriptions?
Physicians in the HealthTap network can write prescriptions and send them to a local pharmacy or directly to your home. Doctors are unable to provide prescriptions for narcotics and controlled substances, psychiatric illnesses, drugs that are restricted in your state, or lifestyle medications, such as diet pills or erectile dysfunction medication. Prescriptions cannot be provided for customers outside of the United States.
When can you get a HealthTap appointment?
You’ll fill out a short appointment request form describing your symptoms and the reason for the visit. Upon completion of payment, you’re connected to a virtual consultation almost instantly, although there can be a short waiting period in some cases. Appointments are available 24/7. You can also submit an anonymous question to HealthTap doctors and receive a free response within 24 hours. An appointment isn’t required to use the question submission service.
Can you pick a HealthTap doctor?
You’ll be matched with a suitable doctor based on your symptoms and the reason for your visit. HealthTap does not allow customers to choose a specific physician themselves. Providers in the HealthTap Doctor Network must be a qualified physician, dentist, clinical psychologist, or pharmacologist with an active U.S. medical license and an NPI number in good standing. To be approved to meet with patients, providers must also be Board Certified in Primary Care and agree to see patients of all ages in an urgent care setting.
How can you get HealthTap support?
HealthTap offers 24/7 U.S.-based support via email and by phone for time-sensitive issues. To speak with a support agent by phone, call (650) 376-6110. You can find a list of frequently asked questions on the company’s website, including self-service support for billing issues and problems with the HealthTap app.
What Customers Say About HealthTap
Good reviews about HealthTap
“Not only were there extremely low wait times (less than 40 seconds), but they’ve provided me informational tools that gave me comfort in my diagnosis and helped me sleep at night.”
“I could avoid an emergency visit in the past year at midnight, and also saved on two urgent care visits.”
“The doctors on HealthTap are great and very helpful. You can get a lot of benefits for free.”
Bad reviews about HealthTap
“Poor support staff response when a billing error was made. Website is not well designed and difficult to navigate and understand.”
“HealthTap has a very limited doctor network. Costs are above what most telemed providers charge for the same service.”
“At the end, it turned out that the doctor can’t see my tests because he is licensed in another state, and that there are no such specialists in my state.”
Bottom Line
Overall, HealthTap is a solid source of medical information that can spare you from unnecessary trips to the urgent care clinic. Signing up for an appointment is almost effortless, and most users experience very short wait times to be connected with a doctor who’s qualified to help them.
The HealthTap app includes a number of useful features and perks. Users who aren’t sure if they need to see a doctor can try the AI-powered symptom checker, which provides intelligent explanations of possible causes and next best steps for care. It’s free to search the HealthTap library, which includes hundreds of doctor-answered questions asked by real patients. Customer data is safely and conveniently stored within the app, making it easy to share consultation notes, test results, and medication information with multiple providers.
Although consultations are cheaper through the monthly Prime subscription plan, they’re not covered by insurance, so you’ll need to pay for every visit out-of-pocket. For patients with insurance that covers telehealth visits, the pay-per-session Basic plan may be the better value.