Maven Clinic, a virtual provider for women’s and family health, is making its new DTC vertical in-network with over 475 commercial health plans.
The first program to be in-network, starting now, is hormone care. Starting on Jan. 1, 2027, its GLP-1 program will also be covered. The fee-for-service contracts represent about 80% of commercially insured lives, according to the company. It is able to tap into the vast network through direct contracts and a third-party partner that it can’t name on the record. Coverage and applicable copays will vary by plan.
“We’re really doing this because of access [gaps] … the in-network coverage removes that barrier,” Alex Kubal, general manager of Maven's Consumer Division, told Fierce Healthcare.
Also in 2027, Maven plans to roll out in its DTC vertical, several additional specialties, including OBGYN care, maternal-fetal medicine, nurse practitioners for general women’s health and nutrition. Employees can use their health plan to get care for PMOS, endometriosis, hormonal, sexual or metabolic health, regardless of whether or not their employer sponsors a Maven program. Cash pay will also remain available.
“We need to be able to maintain pathways for both,” Kubal said. “We want people to get access to high-quality clinical care, which we see as a gap in the market.”
Since the DTC vertical is relatively new, a notable portion of traffic has come from patients already familiar with the brand. About a third of Maven’s DTC subscribers have had a previous touchpoint with Maven, though that doesn’t necessarily mean they have it as a full benefit. Maven is also seeing patients getting GLP-1s and hormone therapy elsewhere transfer to Maven for that care. “The clinical trust that people have in Maven from the employers and 10 years of clinical quality is helping us reach a new generation of patients,” Kubal said.
For over a decade, Maven has built clinical programming around major moments in women’s and family health, including maternity, fertility, pediatrics and menopause. But most people need care before, between and after those phases, Kubal noted. The average Maven DTC subscriber is between 38 and 50 years old. “It leans slightly older,” Kubal said, which suggests there are care gaps after the typical parenthood years.
For example, treating perimenopause symptoms remains a challenge due to a lack of standardized diagnostics. “What we’re trying to do is really educate women and make it a safe place for women to come and talk about what they’re experiencing, and get high quality clinical care, so they don’t have to suffer through it,” Kubal said.
The DTC business, which launched six months ago, “is seeing really great traction from consumers,” per Kubal. It has grown by 55% a month, on average, in terms of subscriptions. In October, its GLP-1 program grew 80% from the prior month. While government payers are part of the discussion, going in-network with them is not on Maven's immediate roadmap, Kubal said.