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Amazon consolidates Amazon Clinic into One Medical and offers $49 telehealth visits
After operating Amazon Clinic as a pay-per-visit telehealth service provider for a year and a half, Amazon has now rebranded and consolidated the service into its Amazon One Medical offerings. The new version offers many of the same services, but at a lower cost, and is also available through a membership plan for comprehensive care.
Amazon One Medical doesn't accept insurance for pay-per-visit telehealth; instead, it offers $29 messaging visits and $49 video visits. While this may not be cost-effective for people with comprehensive insurance plans, it can help uninsured patients or those with high deductible plans, especially as Amazon One Medical accepts FSA and HSA payments.
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The change offers a lower per-visit cost. For messaging visits, for example, the range used to be about $32 to $40. Now, Amazon One Medical users can expect a flat fee for messaging and telehealth visits.
"Amazon One Medical's Pay-per-visit telehealth service makes it simpler for customers looking for care to see a provider, with fewer clicks and even lower per-visit pricing," Amazon Health Services SVP Neil Lindsay said in a statement. "With Amazon One Medical, customers can choose the medical care service that best meets their needs -- a single visit for occasional, common conditions, or a membership that supports access to ongoing care with an app that makes things like getting on-demand virtual care, appointments and managing prescriptions fast and simple."
Amazon hopes to make its One Medical service affordable and straightforward for treating more than 30 common ailments, including UTIs, pink eye, sinus infections, and the flu. The company said it has simplified the process by lowering per-visit prices and reducing the necessary steps to start a visit.
Amazon One Medical is available as a monthly or annual membership plan. Prime members get a discounted rate of $9 or $99 per year, and additional family members cost $6 per month.
The existing One Medical membership includes on-demand 24/7 virtual care, quick booking for same and next-day appointments, in-person visits at over 150 One Medical offices in the US, preventative screenings, and management of chronic conditions.
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An Amazon One Medical membership also gives you access to a messaging care team, health records, prescription management, and appointment bookings.
As an Amazon shopper who's used Amazon Clinic several times, I appreciate how this simplifies access to health care and offers flexible options for different lifestyles and needs. That said, I'm always wary when sharing my health data, especially since companies like Amazon have a history of extensive data collection practices.