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Healthcare · head to head

Included Health vs MDLive

Included Health logo

Included Health

Healthcare

Care navigation and virtual care in one contract for self funded employers and health plans

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
MDLive logo

MDLive

Healthcare

On-demand telehealth and virtual doctor visits

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only MDLive has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Included Health owning both the navigation recommendations and the virtual care delivery creates a structural incentive to steer members to the vendor own clinicians, and an employer should require disclosure and measurement of how often that happens.; MDLive wide price ranges ($0-89, $0-179, $0-299) indicate insurance-dependent costs with minimal baseline transparency
  • They diverge on capability: Included Health covers Care navigation, MDLive covers Video Consultations.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Included Health and MDLive actually diverge.

Attributes where Included Health and MDLive differ
AttributeIncluded HealthMDLive
Starting priceOn requestFree
Pricing modelquoteusage-based
Free tierNoYes
PlatformsWeb, iOS, AndroidWeb, Mobile
FoundedUnknown2002

Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated), category (Healthcare).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in Included Health

  • Care navigation
  • Provider quality steerage
  • Expert medical opinion
  • Virtual primary care
  • Virtual behavioural health
  • Virtual urgent care
  • Benefits integration
  • Employer reporting

Only in MDLive

  • Video Consultations
  • Mental Health Services
  • Psychiatry
  • Prescription Services
  • Urgent Care
  • Insurance
  • EHR Systems
  • HIPAA

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Included Health

  • A large self funded employer whose members cannot tell which specialist to see and who currently absorbs the cost of poor referral decisionsnot MDLive
  • An employer that has bought several point solutions and needs one front door that routes members to the ones already paid fornot MDLive
  • A self funded plan wanting expert second opinions before high cost elective surgery, where a changed recommendation pays for the programmenot MDLive
  • An employer replacing separate navigation and telehealth vendors with one contract and one member experiencenot MDLive

MDLive

  • Telemedicine urgent care visitsnot Included Health
  • Mental health counseling and psychiatrynot Included Health
  • Dermatology consultationsnot Included Health
  • Primary care wellness screeningsnot Included Health

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Included Health

  • Owning both the navigation recommendations and the virtual care delivery creates a structural incentive to steer members to the vendor own clinicians, and an employer should require disclosure and measurement of how often that happens.
  • Pricing is per employee per month across the whole eligible population, so a plan with low navigation engagement pays for everyone to serve the minority who call.
  • Savings claims rest on avoided costs and changed referral decisions, which are counterfactual by nature, so performance guarantees need very careful definition or they measure activity rather than money.
  • The company is a merger of three organisations with different origins, and members and benefits teams still encounter seams between navigation, virtual primary care and behavioural health that the single brand implies are absent.
  • It sells primarily to large self funded employers, so mid market employers and fully insured plans find both the pricing and the implementation effort disproportionate to their size.

MDLive

  • Wide price ranges ($0-89, $0-179, $0-299) indicate insurance-dependent costs with minimal baseline transparency
  • Cancellation fees up to $50 for mental health appointments apply within 24 hours
  • Pricing varies substantially based on insurance coverage with no guaranteed maximum out-of-pocket

Pricing, plan by plan

Included Health

On request
  • Included Health$undefined/year
    • Per employee per month across the eligible population, quoted not published
    • Navigation and virtual care modules priced separately or bundled
    • Some components offered with performance guarantees tied to measured savings

MDLive

Free
  • Urgent Care$null/visit
    • $0-89 per visit with insurance
    • Immediate care access
  • Primary CareFree
    • $0 wellness screenings for eligible insurance plans
    • Upfront pricing shown before appointment
  • Mental Health Talk Therapy$null/visit
    • $0-179 initial appointments
    • $140 follow-up sessions before insurance
  • Mental Health Psychiatry$null/visit
    • $0-299 initial appointments
    • $159 follow-up sessions before insurance

Which should you pick?

Choose Included Health if

  • You need care navigation.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android.
  • You also want provider quality steerage.
Included Health review

Choose MDLive if

  • You need video consultations.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, Mobile.
  • You also want mental health services.
MDLive review

Questions people ask

Is Included Health or MDLive better?
Neither clearly leads. Included Health starts at On request and MDLive at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Included Health or MDLive?
MDLive has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at On request for Included Health and Free for MDLive.
Does Included Health or MDLive run on more platforms?
Included Health runs on Web, iOS, Android. MDLive runs on Web, Mobile.
Can I use MDLive for free?
Yes. MDLive has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Included Health starts at On request.
What is Included Health best used for?
Included Health is most often used for a large self funded employer whose members cannot tell which specialist to see and who currently absorbs the cost of poor referral decisions, an employer that has bought several point solutions and needs one front door that routes members to the ones already paid for, a self funded plan wanting expert second opinions before high cost elective surgery, where a changed recommendation pays for the programme, an employer replacing separate navigation and telehealth vendors with one contract and one member experience. Of those, a large self funded employer whose members cannot tell which specialist to see and who currently absorbs the cost of poor referral decisions and an employer that has bought several point solutions and needs one front door that routes members to the ones already paid for are not what MDLive is typically brought in for.
What can Included Health do that MDLive cannot?
Included Health covers Care navigation, Provider quality steerage, Expert medical opinion, Virtual primary care. MDLive covers Video Consultations, Mental Health Services, Psychiatry, Prescription Services.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Included Health: What exactly is Included Health?

The combination of Grand Rounds Health navigation, Doctor On Demand virtual care and the original Included Health concierge service, operating under one brand since late 2021.

MDLive: What is the cost of an urgent care visit through MD Live?

Urgent care visits cost $0-89 per visit depending on insurance coverage. Pricing is shown upfront before confirming appointment. Most major credit and debit cards accepted for uninsured patients.

Source
Included Health: Who pays for it?

The self funded employer or the health plan pays a per employee per month fee. Virtual care visits may also carry member cost sharing depending on plan design.

MDLive: What cancellation fees apply if I need to reschedule?

Wellness visits incur $25 cancellation fee if cancelled within 24 hours. Routine care $25 if cancelled within 2 hours. Mental health $50 if cancelled within 24 hours. Medicaid and Medicare members exempt from fees.

Source
Included Health: Is there a minimum size?

No published minimum, but it sells primarily to large self funded employers and the pricing and implementation effort do not suit small organisations.

MDLive: Are follow-up mental health sessions cheaper than initial appointments?

Talk therapy follow-ups are $140 before insurance (versus $0-179 for initial). Psychiatry follow-ups are $159 before insurance (versus $0-299 for initial). Insurance copays may apply on top of these base rates.

Source
Included Health: How does it recommend providers?

Through data driven quality analysis rather than a plain directory. Ask specifically how those recommendations are produced and how often they resolve to the company own virtual clinicians.

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