Amazon unveils a $5 top-up option for American Prime subscribers that will enable affordable access to cheaper generic drugs and door-to-door medical deliveries, cementing the eCommerce giant's foray into the healthcare industry.
RxPass, Amazon's healthcare program, covers over 50 brands, including maintenance medicine, for more than 80 medical conditions like diabetes, high blood pressure and anxiety, according to Amazon Pharmacy's Chief Medical Officer (CMO) Vin Gupta.
However, customers with existing government healthcare insurance like Medicare or Medicaid will not be eligible for RxPass.
In an interview, Amazon Pharmacy Pharmacy Vice President John Love stated that enrolling in RxPass will grant Prime users $100 in annual savings. Except for a few states, Prime users can now sign up for the program.
The $5 healthcare plan does not include healthcare insurance and would be charged in addition to the annual $139 prime subscription fee.
The launching of RxPass is in line with the expansion of their healthcare stream, which began with telemedicine, medical deliveries, fitness tracking and investment toward ongoing cancer research.
"We believe a lot of Americans, particularly those that suffer from a chronic illness, are going to benefit from just Amazon's participation in pharmacy, the ability to get high-quality experience delivered to your door at low cost," Love elaborates on the new venture.
This latest move by Amazon, which began when it acquired American online pharmacy PillPack in 2018, is anticipated to dismantle the foothold of Walgreens Boots Alliance and CVS Health Corp on the prescription business model.
