Amazon President and CEO Andy Jassy said the U.S. healthcare experience should be easy, but it isn't, which is what inspired the company to offer more affordable and convenient options for consumers.
"Taking care of your health should be easy, but the current U.S. healthcare experience is often hard to navigate, frustrating and dissatisfying," Mr. Jassy wrote in a Nov. 8 LinkedIn post.
This is why Amazon is offering its Prime members access to One Medical memberships at the price of $9 per month or $99 per year starting Nov. 8. "So more people can get and stay healthy," according to Mr. Jassy.
Earlier this year, One Medical became a part of Amazon. One Medical offers consumers access to 24/7 on-demand virtual care and in-app scheduling for same-day or next-day appointments.
"This helps remove the frustration and inconvenience of having to wait weeks for a basic check-up or to discuss an urgent health need," Mr. Jassy wrote.
Tackling inconvenience is what Amazon's big healthcare game plan is.
Neil Lindsay, senior vice president of Amazon Health Services, said Amazon's goal in healthcare is to empower consumers. For Amazon, this means giving consumers choices when it comes to pricing and convenience.
"Customers are coming to look for healthcare solutions," Mr. Lindsay told news outlet Endpoints News. "We need to make those more accessible to them on Amazon. And then also they do manage a lot of their life through Amazon. So if we can help make that easier to do, great."
So far Amazon has coupled One Medical with Amazon Pharmacy, not only giving customers access to virtual care, but the ability to bypass the need for a visit to a traditional drugstore.
Sara Vaezy, executive vice president and chief digital officer of Renton, Wash.-based Providence, told Becker's in April that this kind of personalization is what health systems can learn from Amazon.