How to choose a GLP-1 program: 8 questions that cut through the marketing
Every GLP-1 program's website says roughly the same things. Licensed providers. Fast and easy. Life-changing. The differences live underneath the marketing, and you find them by asking specific questions.
Here are the eight we'd ask, including of us.
1. What's the real all-in monthly cost?
Not the headline price. The total: consult fees, membership fees, medication, shipping, follow-ups. Normalize everything to one monthly number, because programs quote across different units precisely so you can't compare them. Our full cost breakdown shows how the pricing games work.
Red flag: a low price with an asterisk and four line items underneath.
2. Who actually reviews my health history?
A licensed provider should review your complete intake and make an independent decision. Ask who they are, how they're licensed, and whether the answer can be no.
Red flag: any implication that approval is standard, guaranteed, or tied to what you pay. Eligibility is a clinical call, and a program that treats it otherwise is telling on itself.
3. Where does the medication come from?
Brand-name or compounded, stated plainly, with the pharmacy named if compounded. Both models exist in the market. Hiding which one you're getting shouldn't.
Red flag: vague language like "pharmaceutical-grade" doing the work a straight answer should.
4. What happens between refills?
This is the question that separates access companies from care companies. When week three feels rough, when the scale stalls, when you can't figure out what to eat, who answers?
Red flag: "support" that turns out to be an FAQ page and a ticket queue. At Corivo, a named coach is part of every membership, because we think this question is the whole product.
5. What's the plan for eventually?
Ask what the program's answer is to "what happens when I stop?" A program with no answer is planning for you to subscribe forever without saying so.
Red flag: the question gets deflected with retention-speak.
6. Can I leave easily?
Month-to-month or contract? Cancellation in two clicks or a retention gauntlet? How a company treats departing members tells you how it thinks about current ones.
Red flag: cancellation requires a phone call.
7. What do they promise?
This one is counterintuitive: the better program promises less. Specific weight numbers, timelines, and guarantees are marketing decisions, not clinical ones. Responsible programs talk about support and process, and leave outcomes where they belong, between you and your provider.
Red flag: before/after photos and countdown timers. Urgency is a sales tool, not a care model.
8. Does the whole thing treat you like an adult?
Plain-English explanations. Prices you can find. Clinical terms translated in the same sentence they're used. A "no" when no is the right answer. You can feel the difference within two pages of a website.
Where Corivo lands on its own checklist
One flat monthly price, stated upfront. Independent licensed providers who make the call, including no. Sourcing stated plainly. A named coach in every membership, and a maintenance philosophy we publish rather than dodge. The process, step by step, is here, and the two-minute eligibility quiz is here whenever you're ready to compare us for real.
Frequently asked questions
Is the cheapest program the worst one?
Not automatically, but price outliers deserve the sourcing and support questions more, not less. Cheap access with no care can end up expensive.
Should I pick a program my friend used?
A friend's experience is useful data about support quality and honesty. It isn't data about your eligibility or the right medication for you, which stay clinical questions.
Do these questions apply to in-person clinics too?
Every one of them. The delivery model matters less than the answers.
Corivo Health is a marketing umbrella, not a medical provider. All medical services are delivered by licensed, independent providers through contracted telehealth partners. Eligibility for any medication is determined solely by a licensed provider. This article is for general education and isn't medical advice.