Fees & Financing
Learn all about our fees and funding options
Our Fees
Foria free for some but paid for others. Why?
Provinces have different health systems and rules around virtual care. This means that virtual care is fully covered in some places but not others. Foria's prices reflect that, and we're constantly working to bring down or eliminate fees for patients who have to pay.
Ontario
Why we charge fees in this province
In 2022, Ontario dramatically reduced how much physicians can be reimbursed for providing virtual care. At the time, Connect-Clinic was a virtual clinic delivering gender-affirming care across the province. The funding changes meant that Connect-Clinic could not continue operating.
Dr. Kate Greenaway (right) was the founder of Connect-Clinic. She joined PurposeMed to launch Foria, which provides this virtual care to patients in Ontario. Ontario's changes mean a virtual clinic like Connect-Clinic or Foria needs additional funds to operate, and these operational costs are passed on to patients in the form of fees.
Ontario legislation prevents physicians from charging for services that are covered by the province. Since the province drastically reduced but did not fully remove coverage for virtual care, Foria cannot charge patients to see Ontario physicians.
To deliver our virtual service in a sustainable way, Foria's Ontario clinicians are nurse practitioners like Grant Picarillo (left), who are not covered by OHIP. Foria's nurse practitioners are paid a full-time salary by PurposeMed, so they can focus on providing high-quality care. Unfortunately, this means our services are out-of-pocket for Ontario patients at this time.
Alberta
Free to patients with a valid health card
Alberta's healthcare system is set up differently. In Alberta, the province still reimburses physicians for virtual care at a sustainable rate. This means that Foria can use Alberta-based physicians like Dr. Emma Gibbons (right) to see Alberta patients, and their fees are covered by the province. As a result, Foria's services are provided at zero cost to Alberta patients with a valid health card.
The Connect Fund
The Connect Fund is a non-profit organization set up by the founders of Foria. It will provide funds to support LGBTQ2S+ Canadians with healthcare costs not covered by public health systems. This includes Foria's appointment fees.
The Connect Fund will launch later in 2024. To register your interest in applying or donating to the fund, please complete the form below.
Registration