MDLIVE prices everything as a range that starts at $0, which is honest but not very useful if you are uninsured. The $0 end applies when an employer or health plan is picking up the visit. The number at the top of each range is the one that matters to a cash payer, and MDLIVE publishes it openly on its service pages instead of hiding it behind a login.
This guide pulls out those upper-bound prices for each MDLIVE service line, explains the initial-versus-follow-up split that catches people in mental health care, and covers CVS Virtual Care pricing separately, since a lot of people comparing virtual visits are looking at both. All figures below were read from mdlive.com and cvs.com on September 5, 2026.
What Does MDLIVE Cost Without Insurance?
MDLIVE’s homepage carries a price block for all four service lines, and the individual service pages repeat the same numbers. Urgent care is $0 to $89. Dermatology is $0 to $95. Talk therapy is $0 to $179 for an initial appointment, with follow-ups at $140 before insurance. Psychiatry is $0 to $299 for an initial appointment, with follow-ups at $159 before insurance.
| Service | With a plan or employer | Before insurance | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Urgent care | $0 | Up to $89 | 24/7/365, more than 80 conditions |
| Primary care | $0 | Not sold to self-pay patients | Select health plans only |
| Dermatology | $0 | Up to $95 | Photo review, diagnosis in 24 to 72 hours |
| Therapy, initial visit | $0 | Up to $179 | 45 to 60 minute sessions |
| Therapy, follow-up | $0 | $140 | Same provider within 6 months |
| Psychiatry, initial visit | $0 | Up to $299 | 15 to 30 minute sessions |
| Psychiatry, follow-up | $0 | $159 | Same provider within 6 months |
Source: mdlive.com homepage and mental health page, read September 5, 2026.
HelpGuide, which tested the platform hands-on and surveyed more than 200 MDLIVE users, independently reports the same mental health figures: $179 for an initial therapy session, $140 for follow-ups, $299 for an initial psychiatry visit and $159 for each follow-up within six months. It also found insurance copays averaging $0 to $30, which is the gap between the two ends of MDLIVE’s published range in practice.
The primary care line deserves a flag. MDLIVE lists primary care at $0, but the footnote says it is available only for select health insurance plans and that wellness screenings are typically covered with a $0 copay when your plan participates. There is no cash price for the ongoing primary care relationship, so if you are uninsured, urgent care is your entry point.
Dermatology Is Asynchronous, Not a Video Visit
MDLIVE’s $95 dermatology price does not buy a live appointment. You answer questions, upload photos of the condition, and a board-certified dermatologist returns a diagnosis and treatment plan within 72 hours, usually within 24. MDLIVE says 90% of patients resolve the condition after one consultation, and you can message the dermatologist for up to 30 days afterward at no extra cost.
For a persistent skin, hair or nail issue, that is a meaningfully different product from an in-person visit, and it is priced well below one. Compare it against what a dermatologist costs without insurance before assuming you need the office.
CVS Virtual Care Cost
CVS runs two separate virtual products at two different prices, and the distinction matters if you are uninsured.
CVS Virtual Care publishes these cost ranges: $0 to $55 per 24/7 care visit, $0 to $144 for a first primary care visit and $0 to $99 for primary care follow-ups, $0 to $85 for mental health counseling, and $0 to $215 for a first psychiatry visit with follow-ups at $0 to $99. Those are the cheapest published bands of any service in this guide. The catch is spelled out in CVS’s own FAQ: you need an insurance plan that includes access to CVS Virtual Care. It is not a self-pay product.
CVS MinuteClinic Virtual Care is the cash-pay path. It charges a flat $89 per visit for most eligible services, plus a $29 cash-pay rate for online weight loss consultations. CVS notes that the cash rate is not applied to your insurance deductible or submitted to your insurer, and that it is not available to patients enrolled in Medicare or Medicaid. Our full MinuteClinic cost breakdown covers the in-person price list alongside the virtual rate.
So the practical comparison for an uninsured person with a cough is $89 at MDLIVE urgent care versus $89 at MinuteClinic Virtual Care. For a person with employer coverage, CVS Virtual Care’s $0 to $55 band is the cheaper ceiling.
What Drives the Price
Whether a plan or employer is behind you. This is the whole spread. MDLIVE is part of Evernorth, the health services arm of The Cigna Group, which acquired MDLIVE, Inc. in 2021, and much of its volume arrives through employer and health plan contracts. If yours participates, every number above collapses toward $0.
Which clinician you need. Urgent care with a physician or nurse practitioner is the floor at $89. A dermatologist reading photos is $95. A licensed therapist is $179. A board-certified psychiatrist is $299. You are paying for credential and session length, not for the technology.
Initial visit versus follow-up. MDLIVE defines a follow-up as an appointment with the same provider within six months. Therapy drops from $179 to $140 and psychiatry drops from $299 to $159. Let six months lapse or switch providers and you can be re-billed at the initial rate, which is an easy and expensive mistake in ongoing care.
Cancellation timing. MDLIVE charges a $25 fee for wellness visits cancelled within 24 hours of the appointment and for routine care visits cancelled inside a shorter window. Read the cancellation terms shown at booking, because a missed appointment is not free.
What the service will not do. MDLIVE does not prescribe controlled substances, including narcotics, anxiolytics and stimulants, and its mental health page directs patients who need ADHD stimulant medication elsewhere. Paying $299 for an intake that cannot end in the prescription you need is the most expensive version of this mistake.
Cash Price vs. Insurance
Against in-person care, MDLIVE’s urgent care rate is a clear win. CMS data on 2024 Medicare claims, released in May 2026, puts the national average submitted charge for a standard established-patient office visit at about $189 in an office setting. MDLIVE’s $89 ceiling is less than half that, with no facility fee.
Mental health is a harder comparison. The same CMS dataset shows an average submitted charge of about $176 for a 45-minute in-person psychotherapy session, which is below MDLIVE’s $179 initial rate and above its $140 follow-up rate. For psychiatry, the average submitted charge for an in-person psychiatric diagnostic evaluation with medical services was about $383, so MDLIVE’s $299 intake is the cheaper option even at full cash price.
If you are insured with a high deductible and have not met it, ask which number applies before booking. MDLIVE shows your cost upfront during scheduling, so there is no reason to guess. And if a bill still arrives larger than the quote, request the line-item detail before paying, using our guide to reading an itemized bill.
How to Pay Less
Create the free account and enter your plan before booking. MDLIVE displays your actual cost before you confirm, and creating an account costs nothing. Cigna, Aetna, Humana and multiple Blue Cross plans are among those accepted, along with some Medicare and Medicaid plans.
Book the follow-up rate deliberately. Stay with the same therapist or psychiatrist and keep appointments inside the six-month window. In psychiatry alone that is the difference between $159 and $299 per visit.
Use E-Treatment for simple, obvious problems. MDLIVE’s E-Treatment option handles certain urgent care conditions without a live visit, which is faster and, on participating plans, cheaper. Not all plans include it, and it is unavailable in Kansas, Mississippi, New Mexico, West Virginia and Washington, D.C.
Price the flat-rate competitors before you book. Doctor On Demand charges $99 for a 15-minute urgent care visit and Teladoc publishes its own self-pay rates, while MinuteClinic Virtual Care is a flat $89. For a routine illness these are close enough that whichever has the shortest wait usually wins.
Check a sliding-scale clinic if the cash prices are out of reach. Federally qualified health centers charge based on income and can provide both primary care and behavioral health, which no telehealth cash price matches at the bottom. See our guide to free clinics and sliding-scale care.
Budget for the prescription separately. The visit fee never covers medication. Compare discount programs first with our GoodRx vs. SingleCare comparison, and if a bill from any of this ends up unaffordable, our guide to negotiating a medical bill applies to telehealth charges too.
The Bottom Line on MDLIVE Pricing
For a single urgent problem, MDLIVE’s $89 ceiling is competitive with every major virtual competitor and roughly half the average in-person office charge. For dermatology, the $95 asynchronous review is one of the better values in telehealth. For therapy, it is on the expensive side of the market at $179 and $140.
If you are uninsured, remember what you cannot buy: primary care at MDLIVE and every CVS Virtual Care service require a participating plan. Your self-pay options are MDLIVE urgent care, dermatology and mental health, or MinuteClinic Virtual Care at $89. For anything requiring imaging, stitches or a physical exam, you are still looking at an in-person urgent care visit instead.