Amazon announced Wednesday that it will expand its Amazon Care healthcare service to non-Amazon employees, first in Washington state and then nationwide later this year.
The telemedicine offering was previously only available to Amazon employees in Washington state, where Amazon’s headquarters is based. Amazon will also expand the in-person at-home care component of the service in multiple cities. Amazon launched Amazon Care in September 2019.
Shares of telemedicine giant Teladoc were down more than 7% on the news.
Virtual healthcare is on the rise as people look for medical advice without going to a physical doctor’s office during the pandemic. Telemedicine startups such as Seattle-based 98point6 are raising gobs of money to help support demand.
CNBC reported in October that Amazon was seeking business development managers to “build and grow relationships with commercial and public sector enterprises” for Amazon Care, providing clues of expansion.
Amazon’s health and wellness endeavours include its acquisition of online pharmacy Pillpack, the company’s new Halo health tracking device, and its Haven healthcare partnership with JP Morgan Chase and Berkshire Hathaway that ended earlier this year. The company also sells Amazon Web Services to healthcare customers.
