Amazon One Medical, the primary care provider acquired by Amazon in 2022, is now launching a pay-per-visit virtual healthcare service for children between the ages of 2 and 11. The company announced the new service on Thursday. Message-based visits start at 29 dollars, and video visits cost 49 dollars.
This healthcare service does not require insurance or a One Medical membership. It can help treat common childhood issues such as pink eye and lice. The service also addresses more than ten skin-related conditions, including eczema, bug bites, contact dermatitis, and fungal rashes. It also covers EpiPen and asthma medication renewals.
According to Dr. Natasha Bhuyan, a family physician and national medical director for Amazon One Medical, this service is not meant to replace a family’s relationship with their pediatrician. Instead, it is designed as a convenient option for parents with time-sensitive concerns who do not have on-demand access through a membership.
This launch follows Amazon’s introduction of a similar pay-per-visit virtual healthcare service for adults earlier in 2024. The move also comes at a time when other companies like Walgreens, CVS, and Walmart are scaling back their retail health services due to financial pressures.
In a related development, Amazon recently debuted prescription vending machines at its One Medical clinics, starting in Los Angeles. These kiosks stock a range of commonly prescribed medications, including antibiotics, inhalers, and blood pressure medications. These new kiosks could disrupt traditional brick-and-mortar pharmacy businesses, which are already facing challenges. For instance, Rite Aid recently closed all its remaining stores, CVS has closed more than one thousand stores since 2021, and Walgreens closed five hundred stores over the past year.
The launch of the pay-per-visit service for children represents Amazon’s latest effort to expand its presence in the healthcare sector. The company purchased the online pharmacy PillPack for 750 million dollars in 2018 and subsequently launched Amazon Pharmacy in 2020. Two years later, it acquired One Medical for 3.9 billion dollars.