In an ongoing campaign to gain a foothold in the growing market of affordable prescription medication services, Amazon recently announced it will offer U.S. Prime subscribers the ability to add a RxPass to their membership and access drugs from a selection of 50 generic medications to treat more than 80 common chronic conditions.
According to a recent CNBC Tech report, the additional $5 per month service fee, with free delivery, also provides a prescription savings discount of up to 80 percent on generic drugs and up to 40 percent on brand-name prescriptions. RxPass does not offer insulin or specialty medications and it’s not available to customers receiving Medicaid or Medicare.
The RxPass services are hoped to boost Amazon’s Prime subscription service which recently increased in cost to $139 U.S. annually or $14.99 per month. Amazon has frozen corporate hiring and discussed the possibility of laying off up to 18,000 employees while shutting down some projects, including Amazon Care which was cancelled at the end of 2022.
Amazon is still looking towards a future in the healthcare market and announced in July 2022 it would acquire boutique primary care provider One Medical. As an e-pharmacy, Amazon competes with other online pharmacies with a brick-and-mortar presence like CVS, Walgreens and Walmart, as well as Mark Cuban’s online Cost Plus Drug Company which aims to cut out the middle man and provide safe, affordable medications with transparent pricing.
Prime members will be able to order medications with a doctor’s prescription for health conditions including high blood pressure, anxiety, and diabetes. Amazon also provides online treatment for common health concerns with Amazon Clinic – no video visit or live chat is required. Clients are asked about their symptoms and basic health history, can message with a nurse or doctor, and receive personalized treatment, including any prescription medications.
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