Five Things Telehealth Companies Say That Just Aren’t On the Level

Telehealth is an amazing evolution in healthcare. Fast, accessible, convenient, stigma-reducing — all good things. But the industry has also become a magnet for marketing. The kind of marketing that often sounds impressive but falls apart the moment you apply even basic logic.

Here are the top five things telehealth companies say that strike me as… let’s just say, less than on the level.

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1. “Our medication is better than theirs.”

This is one of the wildest claims in all of telemedicine.

The active ingredient sildenafil is the same whether you get it from:

• Shameless Care
• Hims
• BlueChew
• Walgreens
• CVS
• or any other legitimate pharmacy

It is chemically identical.

It works the same way.

Your body cannot tell the difference.

The same is true for any drug, really. 

And yet the advertising has gotten so aggressive that you can find grown adults online arguing whether BlueChew is “better” than Hims, as if they’re debating Ford vs. Chevy. That may simply be because when you’ve seen millions of dollars in ads, you begin to pick a side. 

Here’s the truth:

Active ingredients are active ingredients.

What actually matters is:

• the quality of care
• the customer service
• the follow-up
• the transparency
• and, yes, price

The pill is the pill.

The company is what differs.

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2. “At-home STI testing is more discreet.”

This is a great Instagram slogan.

It is also a logical mess.

If you’re using a legitimate company:

• You will still have a medical consultation
• If you test positive, a prescription will be sent to your local pharmacy
• The pharmacy will usually attach the prescription to your insurance profile
• The case will be mandatory reported to your county health department (required by law)

None of that is avoidable.

None of that is “extra discreet.”

It’s simply… healthcare. And healthcare has rules.

So while ads love to say “No awkward doctor visit!” (sure, that part is true), the idea that at-home testing exists in some secret unregulated privacy bubble is nonsense.

Discreet is good marketing.

It’s just not reality.

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3. “Your first month is free.”

This is the oldest trick in direct-to-consumer marketing.

Companies that rely on subscriptions are willing to take a loss upfront because they know one thing:

Subscriptions are gold mines.

When I was a kid, we had the Columbia House record club:

“Get ten albums for a penny!”

Then you’d pay double forever.

Telemedicine companies copy the exact same playbook:

• “Free” month
• “Free” trial
• “Free” quarter

Except it’s never actually free.

There are:

• consultation fees
• shipping fees
• “processing” fees
• membership fees
• and auto-renewals that cost more than the medication itself

Some companies’ “free month” ends up being more expensive than the entire Shameless Care process, start to finish.

Free is rarely free.

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4. “Pricing depends on your medical history.”

This one amazes me.

Some of the biggest companies refuse to show you the price until you’ve:

• filled out a complete medical intake
• uploaded personal details
• entered your symptoms
• selected your dose
• selected how many doses you want

And yet nothing — absolutely nothing — in your medical history determines the price.

You could write:

“I climb mountains for fun”

or

“I haven’t exercised since 2012”

The price will be the same.

The real reason they make you fill out everything first?

Commitment bias.

Once you’ve invested time and told them your entire medical background, you’re far more likely to buy.

It’s psychological, not medical.

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5. “Our testing is the most thorough.”

This is the boldest claim of them all — and one of the most misleading.

One company advertises their test as the “most thorough available,” and yet it lacks throat swabs. That’s insane.

Another company claims their test is “medically reviewed.”

We purchased that one too.

No medical intake form, no medical information collected — no basis for a doctor–patient relationship.

Facts exist.

Marketing phrases exist.

They are rarely the same thing.

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The Bottom Line

Telehealth is incredible. It’s the future.

But the marketing is often disconnected from reality, and patients deserve honesty.

At Shameless Care, our approach is simple:

• No gimmicks
• No “free” that isn’t free
• No subscription traps
• No pretending the same pill is somehow magic because we sell it
• No hiding prices
• No calling something “full testing” unless it actually is

Transparency isn’t just a brand value.

It’s the foundation of trust in sexual healthcare.