As the “medtail” movement continues to gain momentum, Amazon is seeking to build membership for its One Medical subscription telehealth service by offering it as an add-on benefit for Prime members at a reduced price.
Amazon acquired One Medical in July 2022. Anyone can sign up for a One Medical membership for $199 per year, but Prime members will now have the option to add the offering to their subscription for the reduced price of $9 per month, or $99 annually.
Earlier this year, Amazon ran a series of promotions to try to boost One Medical membership, including offering Prime members a reduced price for their first year ($144). However, today’s announcement marks the debut of One Medical as a permanent discounted offering for Prime members. Prime members also have the option to add up to five additional memberships at the discounted price of $6 a month or $66 annually (up to $133 off the standard fee).
“When it is easier for people to get the care they need, they engage more in their health and realize better health outcomes,” said Neil Lindsay, SVP of Amazon Health Services in a statement. “That’s why we are bringing One Medical’s exceptional experience to Prime members — it’s health care that makes it dramatically easier to get and stay healthy.”
Advertisement
The One Medical membership covers unlimited access to 24/7 on-demand virtual care, including video chats with licensed providers within minutes, and an in-app “Treat Me Now” feature that lets members get fast care for common concerns like cold and flu, skin issues, allergies, urinary tract infections and more. Virtual care services are available nationally, and members don’t incur any additional costs for on-demand virtual care services. With the One Medical app members also can better manage their care with features including prescription management, secure messaging with providers, follow-up action items after appointments and more.
One Medical also has hundreds of physical offices across the U.S., although in-person visits are not included in the price of membership. Instead, office visits are paid for either out of pocket or through a patient’s insurance.
“This new benefit is the latest example of how we’re making it easier for Prime members to take care of their health,” said Jamil Ghani, VP of Amazon Prime in a statement. “Prime members also have exclusive access to benefits from Amazon Pharmacy, including RxPass, which lets members get as many eligible medications as they need for one flat fee of $5 per month and have them delivered free to their doors in two days or less, and Prime Rx, which helps members save up to 80% on prescriptions when not using insurance at Amazon Pharmacy and at over 60,000 pharmacies nationwide.”
The ‘Medtail’ Movement
And Amazon isn’t the only retailer pushing into health care:
- GNC recently announced plans to expand its own virtual health care offering, GNC Health, after previously adding health care services into its GNC Pro membership program;
- CVS acquired Aetna in 2017 and has since rolled out a suite of health care services, including continued expansion of its HealthHub and MinuteClinic health and wellness centers;
- Walmart continues to add new Health Centers that provide a range of medical services including primary care, labs, X-ray and EKG, behavioral health and counseling, dental, optical and hearing. The first Walmart Health center opened in 2019;
- Walmart also entered the health insurance sector in 2020 with the debut of Walmart Insurance Services;
- In October 2021, Best Buy acquired care-at-home technology platform Current Health, which combines remote patient monitoring, telehealth and patient engagement into a single solution for healthcare organizations;
- Earlier this year Best Buy also added the installation of in-home medical devices to the services offered through its Geek Squad; and
- Even Instacart wants a piece of the health care pie, with its new suite of “Food as Medicine” tools for health care providers.
