Amazon now offers health care, with services available in NC. Here’s what to know.
Caught a cold? Battling allergies? Your Amazon Prime membership could help you with that now, too — and you don’t have to worry about shipping.
The tech giant has a new members-only benefit: Health care. In-person options for One Medical are available in only a handful of states, including North Carolina.
The Federal Trade Commission, however, previously raised privacy concerns about the company’s new partnership with the health care service.
Here’s what to know:
What is One Medical?
Amazon acquired One Medical, founded 15 years ago, in February 2023.
The company offers in-office and 24/7 virtual care services, on-site labs, and programs for preventative care, chronic care management, common illnesses, and mental health concerns, according to a news release on the acquisition.
“When it is easier for people to get the care they need, they engage more in their health, and realize better health outcomes,” Neil Lindsay, senior vice president of Amazon Health Services, said in a news release on Nov. 8. “That’s why we are bringing One Medical’s exceptional experience to Prime members—it’s health care that makes it dramatically easier to get and stay healthy.”
How much does it cost?
Prime members would pay $9 a month (or $99 annually) for the membership, which regularly costs $199. They can add up to five additional memberships for $6 a month each.
How do you sign up?
Prime members can search for One Medical on Amazon.com or visit health.amazon.com/prime to sign up. They can choose to pay monthly or annually and will then be taken to One Medical’s site to download the app, make an account and add other members.
Do you still need health insurance?
Yes. You don’t need insurance to use One Medical, but the membership doesn’t cover everything.
The One Medical membership fee includes access to virtual services at no extra cost, regardless of whether or not you have insurance.
However, if you need in-person care or make a pre-scheduled remote visit, that will be billed to insurance or paid out-of-pocket. The company accepts health plans from most insurance carriers.
Is your information safe?
The Federal Trade Commission issued a statement after the February acquisition raising concerns about the risk of the two companies violating consumer protection laws.
“The statements in One Medical’s privacy policies, combined with the recent public statements by both companies about privacy, constitute promises to consumers about the collection and use of their data by the post-acquisition entity,” the FTC wrote, warning the companies against violating the law and conveying a false impression of information privacy.
The statement continued: “Companies that fail to have adequate safeguards or controls in place to protect sensitive data or fail to obtain consumers’ express affirmative consent for marketing based on sensitive data such as health data may be in violation of the law.”
Amazon and One Medical said this week that that they don’t sell protected health information and that they “use this information to provide care, make getting care easier, and to ensure patient safety.”
Where can you go in-person?
While telehealth services are available nationally, in-person visits can only be done in select locations.
In North Carolina, offices are available in Charlotte and Raleigh-Durham.
Here’s the full list:
Atlanta, Georgia
Austin, Texas
Boston, Massachusetts
Cape Cod, Massachusetts
Charlotte, North Carolina
Chicago, Illinois
Columbus, Ohio
Connecticut
Washington D.C. metro area
Dallas-Fort Worth, Texas
Denver, Colorado
Houston, Texas
Los Angeles, California
Miami, Florida
Milwaukee (soon), Wisconsin
New York
Orange County, California
Phoenix, Arizona
Portland, Oregon
Raleigh-Durham, North Carolina
San Diego, California
Seattle-Tacoma, Washington
San Francisco Bay Area, California
Triad, North Carolina
Tucson, Arizona
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