Folx

FOLX Health is a US virtual healthcare service provider built specifically for the medical needs of LGBTQIA+ adults. It offers telehealth visits with clinicians who specialize in LGBTQIA+ care across primary care, gender-affirming hormone replacement therapy (transfeminine, transmasculine, nonbinary and menopause-related HRT), mental health care and medication management, therapy in selected states, sexual and reproductive health (including birth control, infection treatment and PrEP), and fertility and family building. Care is delivered through a membership that includes clinician visits, secure messaging with a care team, medication management with shipment via a partner pharmacy or a pharmacy of the member's choice, lab ordering, member navigators, and referrals through a national specialist network.

Alongside clinical services, FOLX operates a community platform providing events, educational resources, peer-led support groups, forums and chat, plus expert-led support groups and letter-writing services for name changes. Editorial resources are published through the company's blog and Library. Mental health visits and medication management are offered in all fifty states via primary care services, while therapy is available in a subset of states.

The company launched in December 2020 as a venture-backed queer and trans virtual care provider focused initially on the trans population, and expanded in 2022 to serve the broader LGBTQ+ community. In addition to its consumer offering, FOLX rolled out an enterprise solution for self-insured employers in 2022 and established the FOLX HRT Care Fund in January 2021, which redistributes contributions from allies and community members to help trans, nonbinary and intersex people access HRT through FOLX.

Founding story

FOLX was founded by entrepreneur and queer health advocate A.G. Breitenstein, with support from LGBTQIA+ leaders and clinicians, to address the marginalization and mistreatment of LGBTQIA+ people in mainstream healthcare by building a digital healthcare platform designed specifically for that community. The service launched publicly in December 2020.

Business model

FOLX sells a direct-to-consumer membership subscription that bundles access to clinicians, care-team messaging, care navigation, referrals and the community platform, with clinical services such as visits, labs and medications billed separately. Select insurance plans cover the membership fee, and insurance may be applied to visits, medications and labs; uninsured or out-of-network members pay published cash rates and can request a superbill for reimbursement. The company also sells a direct-to-employer offering to self-insured employers covering their employee populations.

Recurring membership fees of $29 per month when paid annually or $43.99 per month when paid monthly, following a 10-day $0 introductory period, plus fee-for-service charges: $159 for an initial clinician visit, $79 for follow-ups and $139 for therapy visits without insurance, or copays with in-network insurance; medications and labs are billed at variable cost with discounted rates through the FOLX pharmacy and Quest. Enterprise contracts with self-insured employers provide an additional revenue line.

Traction

The company reported that 78% of members lacked access to affirming healthcare before joining FOLX and 71% had avoided seeking care for fear of discrimination. Press coverage described rapid scaling since inception, expansion from a trans-focused service to the broader LGBTQ+ community, launch of a virtual healthcare platform serving nearly all 50 states, and a goal of operating in all 50 states by the first quarter of 2023.

Latest developments

Following the October 2022 Series B, the company said it would scale its enterprise offering, expand mental and behavioral health products including expert-led multi-week support groups starting with fertility and family planning, launch iOS and Android apps for real-time behavioral health support, and pursue one-on-one therapy. Current offerings include primary care, gender-affirming care, mental health care, therapy in select states, sexual and reproductive health, and fertility and family building, with published Library content dated through November 2025.