Story at a glance
- Amazon is reportedly working on launching health care services for people outside the company.
- It has rolled out a pilot program for employees in Washington state.
Online retail and tech titan Amazon is further expanding into new horizons as new reports say that the company plans to launch a new health care service.
Reported by Business Insider, employees with knowledge about the extension note that, while it is early, Amazon intends to build off its Amazon Care services that benefit Amazon employees to extend these services to employees at other companies, effectively launching its own health care coverage.
Some hallmark features of this new Amazon service would be connecting users with doctors via online chats, home visits and prescription services, all through a mobile app.
Amazon plans to sell its burgeoning health services to other companies, reportedly intending to bypass other health plans and brokers.
Amazon has already hired 300 employees to work on Amazon Care and its initiatives.
The company reportedly plans on charging employers a technology fee, in addition to payments based on how many employees will be using Amazon’s health coverage.
Ideally, the company intends to have contracts in place with companies in each of the 50 states by July 2021.
When asked about the launch, an Amazon spokesperson only confirmed that the company deployed a pilot program for employees in the state of Washington.
“We do not comment on rumor or speculation,” the spokesperson said via email. “Amazon Care is a healthcare benefit pilot for Amazon employees in the state of Washington.”
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