Teladoc Alternatives for Employers
Teladoc is the biggest name in virtual care, and for many organizations it works. Employers usually start looking for alternatives for one of two reasons: utilization that stalls in the single digits, or visits that end with “go get seen in person” because a video call can't run a test. Here's the honest field — including where each option genuinely beats the others.
EZaccessMD
That’s usAn employer-sponsored benefit that pairs 24/7 telehealth with in-home diagnostics: when the physician needs more than a phone call, a medical technician brings rapid tests, labs, X-ray, and EKG to the member's home or workplace. Flat PEPM for the employer, $0 copay for members, and utilization around 75% — because visits actually get resolved.
Best for: Employers who want everyday urgent episodes resolved at home instead of becoming urgent-care and ER claims.
Amwell
A major telehealth platform with strong virtual urgent care and behavioral health, widely used by health plans and systems. Like most virtual platforms, the visit ends where a physical test begins.
Best for: Plans and employers standardizing on a proven virtual-care platform.
MDLIVE (Evernorth)
Carrier-integrated telehealth spanning urgent care, primary care, dermatology, and behavioral health. Tight integration with Evernorth/Cigna plans is the draw; diagnostics still require an in-person site of care.
Best for: Employers whose carrier relationship makes MDLIVE the path of least resistance.
First Stop Health
An employer-focused telehealth benefit with virtual urgent care and mental health, known for simple PEPM pricing and high engagement for a virtual-only offering.
Best for: Employers who want a straightforward, affordable virtual-care benefit.
Included Health
Care navigation plus virtual care: advocacy that guides members to the right provider, layered with virtual primary, urgent, and behavioral care. Strong for steering care; it doesn't deliver diagnostics itself.
Best for: Large employers that want navigation and advocacy across the whole benefit stack.
Frequently asked questions
- Why do employers look for Teladoc alternatives?
- The two most common reasons are low utilization (single-digit engagement is common for virtual-only benefits) and unresolved visits — a video consultation can't swab for strep, draw labs, or take an X-ray, so members still end up at urgent care or the ER for anything diagnostic.
- What's the main difference between these alternatives?
- They fall into three camps: virtual-care platforms (Amwell, MDLIVE, First Stop Health), navigation-led models (Included Health), and a model that delivers the diagnostic step in the home (EZaccessMD). The right pick depends on whether you want breadth, steering, or resolution at home.
- Which alternative resolves visits without a claim?
- EZaccessMD — it's a flat-PEPM benefit with a $0 member copay, and when diagnostics are needed a technician brings them to the member, so the resolved episode never becomes plan spend.