Ideal Option vs Bicycle Health
They differ on 6 of 10 things we check. No winner here: the better one is the one that fits what you need and how you'd pay.
Ideal Option
You visit an Ideal Option clinic, usually in person for the first appointment, where an addiction medicine clinician can start buprenorphine or other medication for opioid, alcohol or stimulant use, with counseling and follow-up visits by clinic or video.
Bicycle Health
You book a video visit with a Bicycle Health clinician, who can prescribe buprenorphine (Suboxone), often the same day, and you keep regular check-ins plus optional coaching and support groups.
Where they differ
- Good for
- Ideal Option: Adults with opioid use disorder, including fentanyl, who want to start buprenorphine quickly; People with Medicaid or Medicare looking for medication treatment for addiction
- Bicycle Health: Adults with opioid use disorder who want to start buprenorphine (Suboxone) quickly by video; People with commercial insurance, Medicaid or Medicare in one of Bicycle's 27 states
- Probably not for
- Ideal Option: Anyone in crisis: call or text 988; for an overdose call 911
- Bicycle Health: Anyone in crisis or overdose: call 911, or call or text 988
- Cost
- Ideal Option: Copay with insurance (Medicaid, Medicare, commercial); self-pay price not published
- Bicycle Health: Copay with insurance (most pay under $35/month); $249/month self-pay
- Research
- Ideal Option: Early research
- Bicycle Health: Limited research
- Privacy
- Ideal Option: Grade B+
- Bicycle Health: Grade C
- HIPAA
- Ideal Option: Not stated
- Bicycle Health: Yes
The same for both: kind of help (a therapist), how you pay (insurance), where (web), sells your data (no).
In crisis or thinking about suicide? In the US, call or text 988. This page is information from our reviews, not medical advice.