I know it's funny because it's boner pills, but realistically, the article does not paint as bad a picture of hims as it is attempting to. The various rules they make to skirt the law seem silly, but are really the result of over-regulation. The simple truth about hims algorithmic care is that the vast majority of medical care could be given this way. This was a major revelation to me when I had a medical question that I asked through Amazon's online doctor platform (off-insurance) for just $30. The system asked me several quiz style questions. It determined exactly what was the problem (because again... most primary care is really not that hard). It gave a suggestion of what I'd probably get from the doctor. It sent all the details, including its suggestions to a board-certified medical doctor, who reviewed it within an hour, and then chatted directly with me via a secure messaging site. She agreed the plan suggested by the computer made sense. She asked a few more questions. Within 10 minutes, amazon pharmacy had my order and I received the medication the next day. I even received follow up care.

Honestly, this was way better than using insurance for a physician visit. Half the time you go to the doctor, you already know what they're going to tell you.

I could be wrong, but I believe this system was first made legal during COVID. Despite all the pearl clutching, it works exceptionally well, and should have been legal earlier.