Parsley Health, a functional medicine company, announced last week that it is now in-network with major insurance plans nationwide.
As a virtual functional medicine provider, New York City-based Parsley Health is focused on addressing the root cause of symptoms. Patients start by sharing their health history, symptoms, lifestyle habits and goals. They then meet their clinician, get advanced labs and receive a personalized care plan. This plan covers nutrition, exercise, stress management and supplementation. Patients have follow-up visits and can send unlimited messages to their care team. It supports patients with a variety of conditions, including autoimmune disease, metabolic dysfunction, infertility, menopause and gastrointestinal issues.
The company is now in-network with hundreds of plans, including Aetna, Cigna, UnitedHealthcare, BlueCross BlueShield, Humana and Centene. These payers cover provider visits, diagnostic testing and prescriptions. The company first went in-network in New York in 2023 in partnership with Mount Sinai Hospital, and then expanded into California. With the nationwide insurance rollout, the company has had a tenfold increase in coverage, supporting 150 million Americans.
This news is significant because functional medicine historically hasn’t been covered by insurance, according to Dr. Robin Berzin, founder and CEO of Parsley Health.
“Parsley is bringing [functional medicine] into mainstream covered care at national scale,” Berzin said. “For years, models focused on earlier intervention and whole-system care have largely existed outside insurance, limiting access to cash-pay patients. … This is the first time a functional medicine model has been integrated into insurance at this level of scale. It also reflects a broader shift in how the system is starting to approach chronic disease, moving beyond a purely reactive, diagnosis-first model.”
Other companies focused on functional medicine include Function Health and Forum Health. However, these companies do not accept insurance.
The news comes as three in four American adults live with at least one chronic condition. Chronic disease also represents 90% of the $4.9 trillion of annual healthcare spending in the U.S.
This is what Parsley hopes to address with its functional medicine platform. The company has achieved results as well, according to Berzin. About 89% of Parsley members report significant improvement or resolution of symptoms within their first year, and the company has seen a 23% reduction in the cost of care for high-cost member populations.
“In the near term, the focus is on deepening our insurance relationships and expanding the populations we can serve through covered care, especially with our care being available nationally via telehealth,” Berzin said. “And we’re always working to expand insurance coverage for our care even further.”
Photo: Nora Carol Photography, Getty Images
