Twentyeight Health, a New York-based company, is expanding access to telemedicine services for women’s healthcare, building upon the models established by businesses such as Nurx, but with a focus on previously underserved populations.

According to founder Amy Fan, the company’s core goal is to ensure that women relying on Medicaid or lacking sufficient insurance coverage receive the same standard of care as those with greater financial stability or comprehensive health plans.

This commitment, combined with the company’s technological platform, has attracted significant investment, resulting in $5.1 million in seed funding. Third Prime spearheaded the funding round, with participation from Town Hall Ventures, SteelSky Ventures, Aglaé Ventures, GingerBread Capital, Rucker Park Capital, Predictive VC, and individual investors including Stu Libby, Zoe Barry, and Wan Li Zhu.

“Women enrolled in Medicaid, those who are underinsured, or without health insurance frequently encounter difficulties in obtaining reproductive healthcare, and these challenges have been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic and its limitations on in-person appointments,” Fan explained. “We are dedicated to achieving healthcare equity, guaranteeing that all women, especially BIPOC women and those from lower-income backgrounds, have access to high-quality, respectful, and convenient care.”

To effectively serve these communities, the company collaborates with Bottomless Closet, an organization dedicated to helping women enter the workforce, and the eight colleges within the City University of New York system, including LaGuardia College, which serves 45,000 students, 70% of whom come from households earning less than $30,000 annually.

Currently, Twentyeight Health’s services are available in Florida, Maryland, New York, New Jersey, North Carolina, and Pennsylvania, and it is the only telemedicine provider specializing in contraception that accepts Medicaid.

Demonstrating further dedication to its mission, the company is partnering with Bedsider’s Contraceptive Access Fund to offer free birth control to uninsured women who cannot afford it. Additionally, Twentyeight Health contributes 2% of its revenue to Bedsider and the National Institute for Reproductive Health.

New customers begin by completing a medical questionnaire online. After review by a U.S. board-certified physician, they can choose from over 100 FDA-approved birth control options – pills, patches, rings, shots, and emergency contraception – and expect delivery within three days.

Twentyeight Health supports ongoing care through online audio consultations and secure messaging with doctors to address prescription updates or potential side effects, as stated by the company.

“Currently, women with low incomes are three times more likely to experience an unintended pregnancy compared to the average woman in the U.S., and nearly one-third of physicians across the country are not accepting new Medicaid patients,” noted Bruno Van Tuykom, co-founder of Twentyeight Health. “This highlights the critical importance of providing inclusive, high-quality reproductive care regardless of race, income, or insurance status.”

Established in 2018, Twentyeight Health intends to utilize the new funding to continue expanding its services throughout the United States.