Will a prescription plan through Amazon Prime retain existing members and attract new ones? That’s the question after Amazon rolled out an optional $5/month plan to make medications more affordable – and make prescription fulfillment more convenient.
Announced today, RxPass is available exclusively for Prime members and provides medications that treat over 80 common conditions, including high blood pressure, anxiety, and acid reflux.
According to the announcement, “With RxPass, Prime members can receive all of their eligible medications for one flat, low monthly fee of $5, and have them delivered free of charge. There are no hidden fees and no markups to the $5 per month subscription. RxPass is available starting today in most U.S. states.”
And according to a FAQ on the Amazon corporate blog post introducing the program, “With RxPass, customers don’t need to use their insurance at all. It’s a simple flat fee—$5 a month—and it’s added to their monthly Prime membership. For other medication needs, Amazon Pharmacy accepts most insurance plans.”
However, “customers who are enrolled in Medicare, Medicaid, or any other government health care program will not be able to enroll in RxPass” – but they can use their government insurance to fill prescriptions at Amazon Pharmacy.
Amazon said pharmacists are on hand 24/7 to coordinate with customers’ doctors and help with refills.
Prime costs $14.99 per month or $139 per year, and Tuesday’s press release includes a laundry list of benefits beyond what it was first known for – free, fast shipping on millions of goods.
