BetterHelp vs Amwell (Which is for you?)

BetterHelp vs Amwell

The following is a table which not only serves as a summary of the review this review, but also suggests an objective comparison between the two platforms across a range of categories. 

	BetterHelp	Amwell
Category	Type/Nature	Rating	Type/Nature	Rating
About	Psychotherapy	8/10	Healthcare	10/10
Range of Services	Mental Health	9/10	Complete	9.5/10
Packages	Weekly-Yearly	9/10	Numerous	8/10
Pricing Structure	Min 34USD	9/10	Min 99USD	7/10
Insurance	No	6/10	Yes	9/10
Security	SSL+256-bit	9/10	SSL, CSF, DSS etc.	9/10

About

BetterHelp

BetterHelp was founded in 2013 by Alon Matas, a tech expert who personally suffered from depression. He reflected and realised that having been financially well off, he

still struggled with finding the right match and the best kind of help in terms of quality of

therapists available.

This realisation led him to found this organization. Hence the major aim of BetterHelp

was to make therapy not only affordable, but more widely available and accessible.

E-therapy was hence a great way to make this aim achievable.

Amwell

Amwell was founded in 2013 which is the same year as BetterHelp. Hence both are considered amongst the pioneers in the telehealth industry. 

Amwell however, differs in that the motive behind its formation was to make the entire healthcare experience to be available at the convenience of a clients’ click of a button. This is inclusive of and not restricted to merely mental health services. 

Their mission, as stated by them, is that “We connect and enable providers, insurers, patients and innovators to deliver greater access to more affordable, higher quality care. 

Some of the very impressive statistics of Amwell are that approximately 80 million of its patients are using Amwell as a covered benefit. Moreover, 2000+ hospitals and health system partners have collaborated with Amwell and they have employed over 62,000 healthcare providers. 

This comprehensive telehealth facility has been especially useful during the Covid-19 pandemic, since people prefer staying safe at home, causing zero exposure in high risk environments such as hospitals. 

Range of Services

BetterHelp treats a range of mental health illnesses. These include and are not restricted to the following;

BetterHelp

• Depression
• Generalized Anxiety disorder
• Obsessive Compulsive disorder
• Psychosomatic disorders
• Bipolar disorders
• Sleep disorders
• Eating disorders such as bulimia and anorexia nervosa
• Chronic impulsivity
• Chronic stress
• Sexual orientation issues
• Teen therapy
• LGBTQIA related issue
• Educational issues
• Career related problems
• Financial worries
• Post Traumatic Stress Disorder
• Grief
• Loss
• Spiritual matters
• Existential worries

Amwell

Amwell provides a comprehensive experience of telehealth services to its clients. Broadly speaking, these are divided into: 

• Urgent Care/Emergency Treatment
• Pediatrics 
• Telepsychiatry 
• Population Health Management 
• Chronic Disease Management 
• Telestroke 
• Covid-19 Guidance

Upon a further elaboration of these dimensions, we see the following treatment being provided at Amwell: 

• Dermatology
• Neurology 
• Nutrition Counselling
• Pediatrics 
• Physical Therapy 
• Women’s Health 
• Pregnancy and Postpartum care
• Menopause Care
• Menopause Counselling and Nutrition 
• Psychiatry 
• General Physiology 
• Urgent Care
• Depression
• Anxiety 
• PTSD
• OCD
• Allergies
• Strokes
• Asthma
• Arthritis
• Bipolar Disorder 
• Diabetes
• Bronchitis
• Gastritis 
• Flu 
• Headaches
• Migraines
• Hot flashes 
• Heart Health 

Packages

BetterHelp

Weekly Plan

This package allows one live session and unlimited messaging services throughout the week.

Monthly Plan

This plan entails four live video sessions and 24 hour messaging services for the entire month.

Quarterly Plan

The Quarterly Plan is an extension of the previous plans such that it allows the same

proportion of services (one live session per week and unlimited messaging) along the

scale of four months. 

Yearly Plan

This plan also works in the same fashion as the ones described above, in terms of its scale of operation. It is however billed yearly. 

Amwell

Amwell range of services is divided into what they title ‘modules’ and ‘clinical programmes’ and they are enlisted as follows:

• Acute Behavioural Health
• Behavioural Health 
• ED Triage
• Retail Health 
• Pediatrics
• End-stage Renal Disease and Dialysis
• School Health 
• Urgent Care
• Virtual Primary Care
• Employee Assistance Program 
• Virtual Second Opinions
• Medicare Advantage
• Chronic care
• Nutrition
• Sleep
• Women’s Health

Pricing Structure

BetterHelp

Whereas the previous section described the packages both platforms offer, this section discloses the general price level of these services. 

Weekly Plan

This package costs 80USD per week.

Monthly Plan

This plan costs 260USD. This amount is billed at the start of every month. As it includes four sessions according to the information in the previous section, for 260USD, this suggests that each session (equivalent to per week charge) costs 65USD.

Quarterly Plan

It requires a lump sum payment of 540USD, which equates to 45USD per week.

Yearly Plan

This plan costs 1820USD paid annually. It is equivalent to paying 35USD per week.

Amwell

Amwell is relatively costly when compared to BetterHelp. Typically, they hold one-hour appointments for therapists concerning mental health issues and they charge from roughly 99USD to 110USD on average. 

Moreover, Amwell does not have subscription packages and instead charges by each session. 

In addition, appointments with Psychiatrists and General Physicians cost 269USD for the first 45-minute session and follow up appointments cost 99USD. However, these follow up appointments are usually only 15 minutes in duration. 

In paying high prices however, one thing clients can be sure of, is Amwell’s effectiveness.  

Insurance

BetterHelp

Unfortunately, none of the leading insurance agencies like Cigna, Humana, Premera Blue

Cross Blue Shield and Optum cover the costs of BetterHelp under their plans.

Amwell

Amwell expenses are covered by 55 different insurance agencies. These include Cigna, Blue plans and UnitedHealthcare.

Security

BetterHelp

BetterHelp ensures complete confidentiality and security for both therapists and clients.They do so by making all the communication between the two parties not only SSL encrypted but also 256-bit encrypted according to banking levels.

They also adhere to HIPAA laws.

They do so by making all the communication between the two parties not only SSL encrypted but also 256-bit encrypted according to banking levels

Amwell

Amwell also provides SSL encryption to the communication between both the provider and client. Moreover, it has acquired full telemedicine accreditation, is CSF certified, DSS compliant and ISO 27001 compliant. It also possesses the NCQA certification. 

Conclusion

This review compared two telehealth industry giants, namely BetterHelp and Amwell. The comparison was drawn on a number of facets, such as their background, costs, treatment ranges, insurance coverage and security standards.

Some of the major differences highlighted were the fact that BetterHelp specialises in mental health treatment and employs fully licensed therapists, whereas Amwell is famous for providing an all-encompassing healthcare facility. 

In light of this information, it is concluded that based on personal preferences, it varies as to whom would choose which platform. A client sure of their history of mental illness would be better off choosing BetterHelp due to its affordable rates of therapy, however an individual whose illness is unknown to them should rather choose Amwell for a comprehensive diagnosis across all fronts.  

Frequently Asked Questions