Amid emergency health declarations during the pandemic, the benefits of telehealth have exploded. Since then, Congress has voted to extend those benefits.
However, the convenience and affordability of today’s health care has prompted more companies to offer health services without insurance.
This month, Texans got the chance to see a doctor through the Amazon delivery service. On their website or app, you can click “clinical” to configure, or link it to an Amazon account. A doctor can then call you the same day. It’s $30 per visit, and no insurance is needed, in fact, it’s not even taken out.
“We want your health and wellness goals to be as easy, quick and affordable as any other experience you’ve come to expect from Amazon,” said Dr. Nworah Ayogu, Chief Medical Officer and Managing Director of Amazon Clinic.
More and more tech companies and doctors are coming up with ways to deliver healthcare while ditching insurance.
Direct primary care, such as Meridian springs, charges a monthly fee for better access to your doctor. Again, no insurance is required. Meridian Springs charges a monthly fee of $75 per person or $160 for a family of four.
Do you wake up sick on Thanksgiving Day, on the weekend or after work hours? Just text them!
Need prescription drugs? They can do it too.
Other tech companies are also expanding rapidly in the variety of drugs they can offer you cheaper as well.
Mark Cuban started his own pharmacy called Mark Cuban Cost Plus Drug Company. The Dallas-based company promises to dispense prescriptions with a flat 15% markup, so it’s still getting you drugs that cost tens or even hundreds of dollars. cheaper.
Dr. Renee Dua has opened a similar online pharmacy where patients pay for the subscription. For $25 per month, on Renee.com you can access hundreds of common prescriptions.
“Diabetes drugs, hypertension drugs, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, depression, cancers, birth control, men’s health,” Dr. Dua explained. “Maybe a patient has seven drugs, and we cover five and it’s still a lot cheaper to work with us.”
These options are not for everyone. If you have a serious chronic illness requiring intensive cancer treatments or dialysis, this wouldn’t be for you.
However, it shows that companies are desperate to think outside the box to make common health conditions more affordable and compete with traditional health services.
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