Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
'Fast Access To Health Care': Amazon Orders Up Virtual Health Clinic For Seattle Employees, Offering Quick Telemedicine, Speedy Prescriptions
Amazon has launched a virtual health clinic with in-home follow-ups for employees in Seattle, dubbed Amazon Care. The company announced the program on a web site, Amazon.care, that is currently publicly accessible but did not formally announce the news outside the company. 鈥淎mazon Care is a benefit being piloted for Amazon employees and their families in the Seattle area,鈥� the website reads. (Farr, 9/24)
Amazon has launched a virtual health clinic, dubbed Amazon Care, for employees and their families living in Seattle. The pilot program, which offers a combination of telemedicine and home visits, marks the most recent step the Seattle-based tech giant has taken into the healthcare sector. Amazon Care is marketed as a benefit being piloted for company employees enrolled in an Amazon health insurance plan, according to a company website. Employees will be able to reach physicians or nurses for urgent care, preventive health consults and sexual health services, such as testing for sexually transmitted infections. (Cohen, 9/24)
Walmart said Tuesday that it has added seven bachelor's degrees and two career diplomas in health care fields to its education benefits. Last year, Walmart created a program that would allow its employees to earn a college degree without taking on student debt. (Halkias, 9/24)
Best Buy Co. is well-known for bringing computers and other gadgets back to life. Now, it wants to take care of its shoppers鈥� health as well. The retailer鈥檚 strategy to beef up its fledgling health-care business will be a key focus of its investor meeting Wednesday in New York. The plan includes selling everything from fancy fitness machines to health-monitoring services for seniors. It could help Best Buy grab some of the $3.5 trillion market for health spending in the U.S. -- while offsetting sluggishness in its main business of selling laptops, TVs and phones. (Boyle, 9/24)