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Amazon Pharmacy is providing discounts on prescription drugs exclusively to customers of Blue Cross Blue Shield insurance in Alabama, Florida, Kansas, Nebraska, and New Jersey. The information comes from Amazon Pharmacy’s chief medical officer, Dr. Nworah Ayogu. Amazon is also partnering with the leading pharmacy benefit manager (PBM) Prime Therapeutics for this promotion.
As part of the new partnership, customers can attain discounts on medications bought via Amazon Pharmacy using a MedsYourWay card. Moreover, the cost of the medications will count towards insurance deductibles.
As Mobi Health News points out, customers previously had to choose between getting a discount or opting for the cost to go towards the insurance deductible. Amazon’s new promotion effectively evades this challenging dilemma. The MedsYourWay card comes via Prime Therapeutics, which launched the service in October 2021.
Plan members are also eligible to receive an “enhanced experience” on Amazon Pharmacy
“They can be free to choose whatever’s cheapest and not have to worry about what applies to their out-of-pocket maximum or the deductible because both apply,” Dr. Ayogu said while speaking at an annual health technology event called ViVE 2022. Plan members also get an “enhanced experience” on Amazon Pharmacy.
“For example, when they go to checkout, at that checkout screen they’ll see the discount card price and the insurance price.” Dr. Ayogu explained. “And those customers will get the free, fast shipping because of this partnership. So it will be more convenient, more affordable and simpler.”
Despite being a relatively new entrant in the healthcare industry, Amazon’s business is growing exponentially. The journey began with the acquisition of PillPack in 2018, while Amazon Pharmacy launched in 2020. Meanwhile, Amazon Care is the company’s dedicated nationwide telehealth program, enabling customers to make virtual appointments with doctors.
Amazon later launched a new service called Alexa Together which puts seniors in touch with their loved ones. This eldercare service also includes a fall detection feature, though it requires third-party hardware. These steps illustrate the company’s willingness to strike it big in the healthcare business after dominating the e-commerce market for years.