Current:Home > Contact-usAmazon takes another shot at health care, this one a virtual care service that costs $9 per month-Angel Dreamer Wealth Society D1 Reviews & Insights
Amazon takes another shot at health care, this one a virtual care service that costs $9 per month
View Date:2024-12-25 09:31:26
Amazon is taking another shot at becoming a regular health care source for customers with the launch of a service centered on virtual care.
The e-commerce giant says its Prime customers can now get quick access to a health care provider through a program that costs $9 a month or $99 annually.
The announcement arrives less than a year after Amazon announced the $3.9 billion acquisition of the membership-based primary care provider One Medical, which has medical offices in more than 20 markets.
The company has made a number of attempts to incorporate healthcare into its platform and has started building momentum after some initial setbacks.
The company announced in August that it was adding video telemedicine visits in all 50 states to a virtual clinic it launched last year.
Yet Amazon shut down a virtual health care service last summer that it spent years developing, and it was part of a high-profile but failed push to address health care costs in a partnership with two other major companies, Berkshire Hathaway and JPMorgan.
Through the new service, patients will be able to connect virtually around the clock with care providers through its Prime One Medical membership program. The service includes video chats and an option to make in-person visits there are One Medical locations near by.
The company said Wednesday that its membership fee covers the cost for the virtual visits. But customers would have to pay for any visits they make to the company’s One Medical primary care offices. They can use insurance for that.
Virtual care grew popular during the COVID-19 pandemic, and many health care providers have since expanded their telemedicine offerings. It has remained popular as a convenient way to check in with a doctor or deal with relatively minor health issues like pink eye.
While virtual visits can improve access to help, some doctors worry that they also lead to care fragmentation and can make it harder to track a patient’s overall health. That could happen if a patient has a regular doctor who doesn’t learn about the virtual visit from another provider.
veryGood! (93)
Related
- Denzel Washington Will Star in Black Panther 3 Before Retirement
- 49ers players say they didn't know new Super Bowl overtime rules or discuss strategy
- Hallmark's When Calls the Heart galvanized an online community of millions, called Hearties
- My Big Fat Fabolous Life's Whitney Way Thore Reveals 100-Pound Weight Loss Transformation
- Jared Goff stats: Lions QB throws career-high 5 INTs in SNF win over Texans
- For rights campaigner in Greece, same-sex marriage recognition follows decades of struggle
- King Charles seen going to church for first time since cancer diagnosis
- With Western military aid increasingly uncertain, Ukraine builds its own weapons
- Maine dams face an uncertain future
- Georgia Senate moves to limit ability to sue insurers in truck wrecks
Ranking
- Joey Logano wins Phoenix finale for 3rd NASCAR Cup championship in 1-2 finish for Team Penske
- Bob Edwards, longtime NPR 'Morning Edition' host, dies at 76: 'A trusted voice'
- The secret to lasting love? Sometimes it's OK to go to bed angry
- Tony Romo's singing, meandering Super Bowl broadcast left us wanting ... less
- John Robinson, successful football coach at USC and with the LA Rams, has died at 89
- What is Galentine's Day? Ideas for celebrating the Valentine's Day alternative with your besties
- Shannon Sharpe calls out Mike Epps after stand-up comedy show remarks: 'Don't lie'
- In $100 Million Colorado River Deal, Water and Power Collide
Recommendation
-
Nearly 80,000 pounds of Costco butter recalled for missing 'Contains Milk statement': FDA
-
Hungary's president resigns over a pardon of man convicted in child sexual abuse case
-
Everything you need to know about Selection Sunday as March Madness appears on the horizon
-
Across the world, migrating animal populations are dwindling. Here's why
-
Messi breaks silence on Inter Miami's playoff exit. What's next for his time in the US?
-
The Daily Money: Older workers are everywhere. So is age discrimination
-
How Hollywood art directors are working to keep their sets out of the landfill
-
Small plane lands safely near Buffalo after rear door falls off mid-flight