Do your people know about prescription savings from digital providers like Amazon Pharmacy?

In the darkest days of COVID, many of your employees may have turned to online retailers to meet household needs. Seizing an opportunity, Amazon Pharmacy launched in November 2020.

John Love, the vice-president of Amazon Pharmacy and PillPack, said a big reason the company got into the pharmacy marketplace is workers deserve not only the convenience of ordering their prescriptions from an app and delivered to their home – or as he put it, “a pharmacy in your pocket” – but also better drug price transparency.

During a “fireside chat” presentation at the Thomson Reuters “Total Health 2022” event in Chicago, he encouraged attendees to visit Amazon Pharmacy on their phones and search for the diabetes drug Metformin. The price of a 30-day supply with the prescription plan copay applied is accessible with just a few touches.

For those taking maintenance medications, the app reminds them when it’s time to re-order, or they can choose to automatically refill. That can go a long way in improving health outcomes among your workforce.

Shipping is free for Amazon Prime members and same-day shipping is available in “a handful of cities,” according to Love. He also said the company is shooting to launch one-day shipping of medications that covers 90% of the U.S. by the end of this year.

“The letters that we’ve gotten from customers (saying) it helps them improve their own lives and their own health, and/or that of a loved one, it’s super powerful,” Love said.

Check if Amazon Pharmacy accepts your company’s health insurance. If so, you’ll want to share that with your employees and encourage them to shop around for the best price for the medications they need. It’s something they’ll appreciate if they’re struggling to make ends meet in inflationary times.

Healthy competition

When employee benefits providers compete to offer services of the same quality for the lowest price, it’s a win for your employees and your organization’s bottom line.

Competing in the generic drug space against high-profile pharmacies like Amazon, CVS, Rite Aid, Walgreen’s and Walmart, is the Mark Cuban Cost Plus Drug Company online pharmacy. That’s Mark Cuban as in the “Shark Tank” entrepreneur and owner of the NBA’s Dallas Mavericks.

The company also prides itself on price transparency.

Digital privacy with Amazon Pharmacy?

Because of Amazon’s popularity, it’s an appealing target for hackers and your employees may have concerns about the security of their sensitive medical data.

Amazon Pharmacy says it’s HIPAA-compliant when it comes to using and disclosing protected health information, such as medication history, medical conditions and health insurance information.