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continuing his foray into the healthcare industryAmazon is launching its own prescription drug service for main members called RxPass, which allows consumers to buy generic drugs for $5 a month.
And those $5 go a long way. Not only is this a flat fee, but subscribers won’t be subject to hidden fees or random markups, plus delivery is free. You can buy all medicines (opens in a new tab) you need for $5, assuming it’s available through the program. At launch, you’ll have access to more than 50 different medicines (opens in a new tab) to treat more than 80 common health conditions, from diabetes to gout and even high blood pressure. Any additional prescriptions you need that are not available through RxPass must be purchased through amazon pharmacy for its normal price. Speaking of which, Amazon Pharmacy will also be highlighting which drugs can be purchased through the new service, as a new blue RxPass icon will appear in drug descriptions.
Inscription
To sign up, the company claims that Prime members will have to go through a “simple registration process” to verify a person’s “eligibility and prescription information.” Amazon pharmacists are available 24/7 to help with refills or “coordinate with [your] doctor” for hassle-free setup. The packets will be “delivered monthly or quarterly” to your door, depending on the prescription. It varies.
It’s also worth noting that the number of drugs you buy influences the length of your subscription. Let’s say you buy a three month supply of finasteride. In Amazon’s eyes, you’ve just committed to a three-month subscription to RxPass. Patients can cancel at any time, but the cancellation will not take effect until after that time period. You cannot cancel after 40 days in an attempt to save money; Amazon won’t let you. So be aware of how much you buy.
limitations
As you can imagine, there are some limitations at launch. The service will be available in 42 US states. The eight excluded are California, Louisiana, Maryland, Minnesota, New Hampshire, Pennsylvania, Texas and Washington. Patients in those states will have to use Amazon Pharmacy to get their medication. Amazon will also deny people based on the type of insurance they have. If you have Medicare, Medicaid, or any type of government-funded insurance, you will be denied. And neither an HSA (Health Savings Account) nor an FSA (Flexible Spending Account) will be accepted.
It sounds like patients can use their insurance plan to pay for RxPass, but for just an extra $5 a month on top of the Prime membership fee, do you really need to? Being able to buy all your prescription drugs (assuming they are eligible) in one place for such a low cost is a great bargain. RxPass could potentially help a lot of people, especially with the current inflation.
We’ve reached out to Amazon to ask if there are plans to expand both the list of eligible drugs and RxPass to the eight excluded states. This story will be updated if we hear back.
Be sure to check out TechRadar’s list of the best telemedicine software for 2023. These platforms allow for remote healthcare if you are unable to see a doctor in person.
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