It's too bad that this doesn't seem to be viable in the 3rd world (yet). It's needed there far more than here. (Not that this service isn't useful here.)
Nurx (YC W16) Will Deliver Prescription Medication to Your Door for Free
11–20 of 45 posts
Re: Nurx (YC W16) Will Deliver Prescription Medication to Your Door for Free
#12What's the value proposition for investors here? The data they gather from associating the medication to patients?
Presumably the company will want to make a profit by billing the health insurance company (or customer, if they don't have one), and the investors will want a slice of those profits.
Their FAQ says they're HIPAA-compliant, and data collected about a patient's health is extremely confidential.
Re: Nurx (YC W16) Will Deliver Prescription Medication to Your Door for Free
#13What's the value proposition for investors here? The data they gather from associating the medication to patients?
My guess is telemedicine insurance coverage arbitrage.
Insurance companies reimburse doctors for consulting and prescribing the medication to the patients. For low risk/low effort consultation, like birth control, the doctor can go through more patients via telemedicine than having them come into the office with similar reimbursement rate as traditional visit.
Re: Nurx (YC W16) Will Deliver Prescription Medication to Your Door for Free
#14> If you're a woman living in the United States, you already know that getting your hands on birth control can be a complex and expensive process.
I'm not a woman nor in the US, so this was news to me. It's really easy and cheap here in NZ, so it surprised me that this is still a problem in any developed nations.
Can anyone add more background on what the difficulties are in the US?
Re: Nurx (YC W16) Will Deliver Prescription Medication to Your Door for Free
#15What's the value proposition for investors here? The data they gather from associating the medication to patients?
My guess is telemedicine insurance coverage arbitrage. Insurance companies reimburse doctors for consulting and prescribing the medication to the patients. For low risk/low effort consultation, like birth control, the doctor can go through more patients via telemedicine than having them come into the office with similar reimbursement rate as traditional visit.
Rightly or wrongly, I always felt like getting a Pap smear was part of the "deal" when it came to getting a birth control prescription. So it is surprising to me that Nurx can/will (I assume) give you a prescription without having a recent exam.
Re: Nurx (YC W16) Will Deliver Prescription Medication to Your Door for Free
#16Earlier quoted context omitted.
My guess is telemedicine insurance coverage arbitrage. Insurance companies reimburse doctors for consulting and prescribing the medication to the patients. For low risk/low effort consultation, like birth control, the doctor can go through more patients via telemedicine than having them come into the office with similar reimbursement rate as traditional visit.
Rightly or wrongly, I always felt like getting a Pap smear was part of the "deal" when it came to getting a birth control prescription. So it is surprising to me that Nurx can/will (I assume) give you a prescription without having a recent exam.
Yep. States are moving toward an easier process of receiving birth control.
Related: http://www.nytimes.com/2015/11/23/health/states-lead-effort-...
Re: Nurx (YC W16) Will Deliver Prescription Medication to Your Door for Free
#17> If you're a woman living in the United States, you already know that getting your hands on birth control can be a complex and expensive process. I'm not a woman nor in the US, so this was news to me. It's really easy and cheap here in NZ, so it surprised me that this is still a problem in any developed nations. Can anyone add more background on what the difficulties are in the US?
Up until recently, it wasn't guaranteed to be covered under your health insurance. The ACA — "Obamacare" — required plans to cover many options, but it's not guaranteed that your preferred option(s) will available. Generally, coverage is supposed to be free, but again, only certain options may be free (generics only, for example) and some may require a significant copay (IUDs, I believe).
For the birth control pill, you still A. need a prescription (which usually means you need to occasionally make an appointment, take off work, and see a doctor, probably not for free), and B. need that prescription to be filled. Oftentimes, that means picking up a new package of pills in a five-day window during semi-limited business hours because many pharmacies avoid giving out an extra supply. Planning for a vacation can be a pain (1-month notice) but an emergency trip is almost undoable.
Not every pharmacy even needs to carry the birth control pill or other options, so it's a very real scenario that people may not have access to their preferred method. Recent court challenges (Hobby Lobby in particular) have made it more complicated and allowed some companies to NOT provide such coverage.
Also, pharmacies have not been above charging women for products that should be free.
Lots more detailed info here: http://obamacarefacts.com/obamacare-birth-control/
IANAW but I am married to one.
Re: Nurx (YC W16) Will Deliver Prescription Medication to Your Door for Free
#18> If you're a woman living in the United States, you already know that getting your hands on birth control can be a complex and expensive process. I'm not a woman nor in the US, so this was news to me. It's really easy and cheap here in NZ, so it surprised me that this is still a problem in any developed nations. Can anyone add more background on what the difficulties are in the US?
In most states, pharmacists can legally refuse to dispense contraception on religious grounds. No federal law prohibits pharmacists from doing so. Only eight states explicitly prohibit refusals and six states explicitly permit refusals. According to the National Women's Law Center, reports of refusals are increasing.
Re: Nurx (YC W16) Will Deliver Prescription Medication to Your Door for Free
#19Re: Nurx (YC W16) Will Deliver Prescription Medication to Your Door for Free
#20Earlier quoted context omitted.
My guess is telemedicine insurance coverage arbitrage. Insurance companies reimburse doctors for consulting and prescribing the medication to the patients. For low risk/low effort consultation, like birth control, the doctor can go through more patients via telemedicine than having them come into the office with similar reimbursement rate as traditional visit.
Rightly or wrongly, I always felt like getting a Pap smear was part of the "deal" when it came to getting a birth control prescription. So it is surprising to me that Nurx can/will (I assume) give you a prescription without having a recent exam.
It's not like getting a cervical exam isn't totally sensible for women having unprotected sex, which is often an of those taking birth control pills.