Amazon announced that Prime subscribers can now join One Medical, the primary care service that Amazon acquired for $3.9 billion. with a big discount. A membership normally costs $199 per year, but the company has lowered that price to $99 per year (or $9 per month) for its Prime customers. The discount takes effect immediately and is available starting today. in this link.
This gives Prime members an easy and much faster way to see a primary care doctor without waiting weeks or months, as is often the case with the US healthcare system. Up to five additional Prime members can be added. the family to a One Medical plan for $6 per month per person. It’s the most significant move Amazon has made yet with One Medical after offering smaller discounts of $144 a year shortly after closing the deal.
One Medical offers same-day care visits, either in its in-person boutiques or through 24-hour virtual appointments. Overall feedback about the service seems generally positive, although common customer complaints may include issues such as rapid turnover. It is not unusual for members to change doctors just months apart, making it difficult to establish familiarity with their care provider.
There is also the reality that many people cannot afford One Medical’s annual subscription in addition to their normal insurance rates. That has led Amazon to try to entice more people to sign up for Prime by adding discounted health care in a country where health care is often a luxury. There’s always the question of whether lowering One Medical’s entry price could lead to fewer available appointments, but Amazon has presumably made projections about how aggressively it can push scale without affecting service quality.
