Amazon is launching a pay-per-visit virtual healthcare service for children

Amazon One Medical, the retailer’s primary care provider Acquired in 2022The company is launching a pay-per-visit virtual healthcare service for children aged 2 to 11 years Announce Thursday. Message-based visits start at $29, and video visits cost $49.

The healthcare service does not require insurance or a One Medical membership and can help treat issues like pink eye, lice, and more than 10 skin-related issues, including eczema, insect bites, contact dermatitis, fungal rashes, and more. The service also covers EpiPen renewals and asthma medications.

Amazon The show has started A paid virtual healthcare service for adults in 2024.

“This service is not intended to replace a family’s relationship with their pediatrician, but rather to serve as a convenient option for those ‘in-between’ moments for parents with time-sensitive concerns who don’t already have on-demand access through a One Medical membership,” said Natasha Bhuyan, MD, family physician and national medical director of Amazon One Medical. press release.

The move comes as companies like Walgreens, CVS, and Walmart do so Reducing their retail health services.

Amazon last week Prescription vending machines appear for the first time In its one medical clinics, starting in Los Angeles. The kiosks contain a range of commonly prescribed medications, including antibiotics, inhalers and blood pressure medications.

These new kiosks could disrupt the business of traditional pharmacies, which are already struggling. For example, the recent Rite of Aid It closed all of its remaining stores; CVS has closed more than 1,000 stores since 2021; Walgreens closed 500 stores over the past year.

The launch of its new pay-per-visit service for children marks the latest move by Amazon to expand its presence in the healthcare sector. In 2018, Amazon bought the online pharmacy PillPack for $750 million and then launched Amazon Pharmacy in 2020. Two years later, it bought One medical For $3.9 billion.