Amazon Launches $5/Month Prescription-Drug Plan

A table with many different types of pills on it.


Amazon.com Inc. is launching a new subscription service called RxPass on Tuesday.  It’s available only to Prime members and offers unlimited access to commonly prescribed generic medications, including high-blood pressure and anxiety drugs, for only $5/month.  John Love, the VP of Amazon Pharmacy, said the service will save the average Prime member around $100/year on prescription costs.  “We think even if we can just make things a little bit better for a whole lot of people, that’s going to have a resounding impact on health,†Love told The Wall Street Journal.  Amazon started selling prescription medicines in 2020, two years after its acquisition of online pharmacy PillPack Inc.

AARP The Magazine Offers Suggestions For Free TV

Two people sitting on a couch watching television.


AARP The Magazine is great for coming up with money-saving ideas, and their latest study (August/September 2022 Issue, page 16) focuses on dropping cable or satellite in favor of free options called FAST (free, ad-supported streaming TV).  They recommend trying the following options:

Freevee

This is Amazon’s new free TV service with an average of six to seven minutes per hour, and shows like Hollywood Houselift With Jeff Lewis and Bosch: Legacy.

Roku Channel

 

Highlights include Emeril Tailgates, shows by Martha Stewart and Christopher Kimball as well as 3,000 older episodes of their shows.

 

Peacock

Shows include Downton Abbey, the first five seasons of The Office and all episodes of Saturday Night Live.

 

Pluto TV

This includes a plethora of shows from A&E, AMC, CBS, CNN and Paramount plus game shows like Jeopardy!, Wheel of Fortune and Let’s Make A Deal.

 

Tubi

Shows include The Freak Brothers, The Masked Singer and TMZ.

Amazon Continues It’s Expansion Into HealthCare

A person holding a stethoscope in front of a laptop.


Amazon.com is buying an operator of primary-care clinics called 1Life Healthcare Inc. in a $3.9 billion deal.  It operates an array of primary-care practices under the name One Medical.  This is the first major acquisition during the tenure of CEO Andy Jassy, who has stated a key objective of the company is to expand more into health care.  Once the deal closes, Amazon will operate 180 medical offices in 25 U.S. markets and work with more than 8,000 companies to provide employees with both in-person and virtual care.

Amazon Targeting Seniors And Their Caregivers With New Service

A man and woman looking at a laptop


Amazon.com has launched a new service including an urgent response option giving users access to a 24/7 emergency hotline, supporting fall detection response in partnership with 3rd party services.  It requires an Alexa-supported device such as an Amazon Echo speaker or the Echo Show and costs $19.99/month or $199/year after a free six-month trial.

Tech Giants Jump Into Rapidly Growing Healthcare Business : By Derek Baine

A person holding a stethoscope in front of a laptop.


Google parent Alphabet Inc. and hospital chain HCA Healthcare struck a deal this week to develop algorithms using patient records which could help physicians make more informed decisions about patient care.  They aren’t the only ones to jump into the rapidly growing healthcare space.  JPMorgan Chase is investing $250 million in startups and technologies which are meant to make healthcare more efficient and effective.  Amazon.com and Walmart have also partnered on primary care which will enable them to push their prescription pharmaceuticals business.  The U.S. is projected to spend about $4 trillion on healthcare this year (according to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services). That’s roughly 20% of GDP so it’s no big surprise that these big companies are jumping into this fast growing sector.

https://www.wsj.com/articles/amazon-and-walmart-have-an-rx-for-healthcare-the-cure-wont-be-easy-11622194240

Costco Diving Deeper Into The Prescription Drug Market

A table with many different types of pills on it.


Amazon.com and Walmart Inc. have both jumped into the online pharmacy market and now Costco Wholesale Corp. is taking a different approach, with a focus on helping make prescription drug prices transparent for employers.  It has partnered with Navitus Health Solutions LLC, a small pharmacy benefit manager (PBM) which has a different business model than most PBMs.  Rather than taking a cut of rebates and discounts, they charge a flat free.  Costo recently purchased a minority stake in Navitus in a partnership which should benefit both employers and consumers.

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-04-22/costco-cost-health-care-approach-differs-from-amazon-amzn-walmart-wmt

Pacific Grove, CA Elder Abuse Alert : Customer Service Scams

A pile of money sitting next to stacks of cash.


AARP Bulletin had an elder abuse alert for our area.  The article profiled a 75-year old man who saw a charge on his credit card that he didn’t recognize for Amazon Prime.  He did a google search for Amazon’s phone number and called the number, which turned out to be fake.  They asked him to confirm his credit card number, as well as his Social Security number.  “Scammers will buy and place fake ads that often elude the filters for the online search engines,†Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser told AARP Bulletin.  They also tricked him into buying gift cards.  “When people are searching for customer service numbers, they are in a hurry and quickly scan for the first phone number they see,†he said.  Scammers are targeting Monterey County, and in particular rich pockets like Carmel-by-the-sea, Pacific Grove and Pebble Beach.

Amazon Pharmacy Gets Good Reviews On Prescription Pricing

A table with many different types of pills on it.


Amazon Pharmacy jumped into the online prescription market in November, entering another highly competitive—but lucrative—space.  The digital pharmacy offers free two-day home delivery and AARP Bulletin in their January/February 2021 Issue (page four) gave the service high marks.  “We compared benefit prices against other retail options and found that its prices were often—but not always—cheaper,†said the AARP Bulletin article.

 

Haven Wanted To Develop Innovative Healthcare Solutions, Is Now Shutting Down


Haven, the company backed by Amazon.com, Berkshire Hathaway and JPMorgan Chase surprisingly started informing employees today that it will shut down by the end of next month.  Many of the company’s 57 workers will be offered new jobs at one of the three founders of the non-profit.  The problem, insiders say, is that rather than working together, the three companies developed their own products on their own.

https://www.cnbc.com/2021/01/04/haven-the-amazon-berkshire-jpmorgan-venture-to-disrupt-healthcare-is-disbanding-after-3-years.html

Amazon.com Comes Out With New Elder Care System For Alexa

A black and blue echo dot on top of a white table.


Amazon.com is moving into the older adult market with a big splash, an extension of Alexa called “Care Hub†while also adding tools for Alexa for Hospitality.  The app allows remote connections and monitoring between older adults and their loved one.  Care Hub also offers customizable alerts.  For instance, alerting a loved one the first time the elderly person uses Alexa each day, as well as giving an alert if the senior is inactive for a certain period of time.  It also comes with features like “Alexa, call for help†which will notify a family member immediately.  This is great that Amazon.com is building its presence in this growing market after its acquisition of PillPack.

https://seniorhousingnews.com/2020/11/16/amazon-effect-on-senior-living-grows-with-care-hub-launch-alexa-for-hospitality-tools/