FOLX Health Now In-Network with Regional and National Health Plans, Ensuring LGBTQIA+ Folks Have Improved Access to Life-Saving Health Care

The Queer and Trans Healthcare Provider Offers Virtual Primary Care, Gender-Affirming Care, Therapy and Mental Health Services

BOSTON, Oct. 19, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- FOLX Health, the digital healthcare service provider designed by and for the LGBTQIA+ community, today announced that it is now an in-network healthcare provider with regional and national health plans, including Blue Shield of California, offering virtual primary care, gender-affirming care, and more. By moving to a contracted model, LGBTQIA+ individuals can use their insurance benefits to access the lifesaving, affirming primary care, gender-affirming care, and mental health care they need.

"Blue Shield of California is committed to ensuring all Californians have access to high-quality health care at an affordable price," said Krishna Ramachandran, Senior Vice President of Health Transformation and Provider Adoption at Blue Shield of California. "As the nation's most populous state, with over 9% of our population identifying as LGBTQ+, our membership is asking for choice in their health care, and we are excited to expand our offerings with a holistic, virtual provider option for our members with FOLX Health."

Through the collaboration, insured individuals can utilize primary care, 1:1 therapy and mental health medication management with FOLX's LGBTQIA-specialized clinicians. Additionally, current FOLX members who are in network with these insurance plans, but had previously gone outside of their benefits to gain access to FOLX's affirming providers, will now be able to significantly lower their out-out-pocket expenses.

"We are thrilled to be partnering with this portfolio of health plans, offering our clinical health services to those they insure," says CEO of FOLX Health, Liana Douillet Guzmán. "A FOLX Health survey found that more than 50% of LGBTQIA+ people have reported discrimination in a healthcare setting, and even more staggering than that, 15% of trans people have actually been verbally, physically, or sexually harassed or abused in a healthcare setting. By joining these networks, we're now able to reach thousands more LGBTQIA+ patients who are in need of FOLX Health services, at a much more affordable cost."

This news comes on the heels of FOLX Health's membership model relaunch, which has been updated in order to accept insurance as a part of the membership structure. The new membership changes from a lump sum subscription package to a low-cost monthly membership fee. Now – with or without insurance – members can have access to FOLX Health care and radically expanded services (gender affirming care, sexual and reproductive health care, mental health care and more) at a new, more accessible cost and can pay for just the care they need, when they need it. To learn more about FOLX Health, visit www.folxhealth.com.

ABOUT FOLX HEALTH 
Launched in December 2020, FOLX Health is an LGBTQIA+ healthcare service provider built to serve the community's specific needs. The company delivers a new standard of healthcare that's built to serve LGBTQIA+ people, rather than treat them as problems to be solved. FOLX Health provides end-to-end virtual primary care, HRT, PrEP, care navigation, content and community through a diverse network of queer and trans specialized providers. In January 2021, FOLX Health established the FOLX HRT Care Fund which redistributes financial resources from allies inside and outside of the LGBTQIA+ community to support trans, nonbinary, and intersex folks to access hormone replacement therapy care through FOLX.

ABOUT BLUE SHIELD OF CALIFORNIA
Blue Shield of California strives to create a healthcare system worthy of its family and friends that is sustainably affordable. Blue Shield of California is a tax paying, nonprofit, independent member of the Blue Shield Association with more than 4.8 million members, over 7,500 employees and more than $24 billion in annual revenue. Founded in 1939 in San Francisco and now headquartered in Oakland, Blue Shield of California and its affiliates provide health, dental, vision, Medicaid and Medicare healthcare service plans in California. The company has contributed more than $97 million to Blue Shield of California Foundation in the last three years to have an impact on California communities. For more news about Blue Shield of California, please visit news.blueshieldca.com. Or follow us on LinkedIn, Twitter, or Facebook.

SOURCE FOLX Health