Amazon has decided that it can make money selling its Prime members monthly subscriptions for five health care services that insurance will not cover. Heather Landi reports for Fierce Healthcare that Amazon’s services are pay-per-visit and are available exclusively through telehealth. Here’s how it works.
If you are looking for help with hair loss (men only), anti-aging skin care, erectile dysfunction, eyelash growth and motion sickness, Amazon One Medical offers a subscription solution. You pay upfront each month in exchange for a telehealth visit, a treatment plan and free delivery of the medications you are prescribed.
Medicare does not cover these services, whether you are in traditional Medicare or a Medicare Advantage plan. They are not considered medically necessary. But, if you would like any of these services, it’s not clear why you are better off subscribing to Amazon’s service than getting a prescription for them from your physician.
Your primary care physician typically can prescribe medicines for hair loss and motion sickness. And, you can find plenty of anti-aging skin care products without paying Amazon One Medical providers $10 a month or more.
What do these new services cost?
- Anti-aging skin care is available for $10 a month
- Men’s hair loss is $16 a month.
- Erectile disfunction treatment costs $19 a month (a 92 percent savings, according to Amazon)
- Eyelash growth treatment is $43 a month
- Motion sickness care is $2 a use.
If you are not prescribed a treatment, you don’t pay.
Amazon Clinic is already available throughout the US. It provides telehealth services for many common conditions, including pink eye, flu and sinus infection. Messaging visits are $29. Video visits are $49.
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