The news: Women’s and family health provider Maven Clinic’s virtual care platform is now in-network with more than 475 commercial health plans nationwide, per Maven. Perimenopause, menopause, and hormone care visits are available now on the Maven platform, with additional specialists to follow in the coming months.

Why it matters: The expansion opens Maven to roughly 80% of commercially insured consumers, who can use their health insurance for select services even if their employer doesn’t sponsor a Maven program. Until now, Maven’s services were available mainly through employer-sponsored benefits or out-of-pocket cash payments.

Maven is removing a financial barrier for many patients. Some 49% of women have skipped or delayed a doctor’s visit because of the cost, even though it was needed, per a February Talker Research survey of women ages 20 to 50. Self-pay virtual OB-GYN visits and other specialized women’s health services commonly cost over $100 on telehealth marketplaces, including Maven’s own D2C offering.

Affordability is also a barrier to menopause care specifically. Approximately 20% of US women delayed or avoided menopause care due to cost, while roughly 10% cut back on essential expenses to afford treatment, per Journal of Women’s Health research cited by Maven.

Implications for consumer health brands: Some D2C healthcare companies avoid insurer partnerships despite their potential to expand access. Those partnerships could undermine their core appeal of fast, convenient care without the appointment delays, coverage verification, and prior authorization hurdles associated with insurance.

Maven’s expansion will further test whether a hybrid D2C/insurance care model can deliver the affordability of health plan-covered services without sacrificing the convenience that attracts consumers in the first place. To maintain its strong patient reputation, Maven must clearly communicate what insurance does and doesn’t cover, such as medications, across its marketing and website.

This content is part of EMARKETER’s subscription Briefings, where we pair daily updates with data and analysis from forecasts and research reports. Our Briefings prepare you to start your day informed, to provide critical insights in an important meeting, and to understand the context of what’s happening in your industry. Not a subscriber? Click here to get a demo of our full platform and coverage.