SXSW Dispatch: BetterHelp Is a Disaster, Will It Destroy Teladoc?

The FTC has limited enforcement scope, but is throwing firebombs at bad actors.

“There used to be rules!”

—Junior Soprano.

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) filed a complaint against BetterHelp. This article details what is revealed in that complaint, why it’s a problem from a consumer protection standpoint, and why it is a much, much bigger problem for its parent company, Teledoc. This is public information in the Federal Trade Commission report, nothing is private. It is already adjudicated.

I am an advocate for well-regulated telehealth. I am occasionally an advocate for well-intentioned telehealth that stumbles badly. I do not think incidental breeches should be grounds for action, per se. But it's really hard to say what will happen in this particular case, given the contents of the federal trade commission report.

Originally, I was going to make this an article about all of the myriad legal implications of the FTC filing, but it would just be too long and difficult to read. I will focus on the issue of protected health information, and the regulatory framework…