Amazon’s acquisition of One Medical could have major implications for both the healthcare industry and the health benefits of employees.
Last week, the online retail giant announced that it had purchased primary care provider One Medical for $18 per share, valuing the company at $3.9 billion.
While it is still unclear what Amazon plans to do with the new purchase, some speculation has begun to emerge.
Amazon has already dipped its toes into the online pharmacy delivery sector, but having One Medical under its wing could revamp how both the public and staff receive their healthcare needs.
One potential scenario could be that Amazon offers in-house health insurance for its workers and even other businesses, potentially lowering subscription costs. However, it could also open an entirely new avenue of data collection that may have privacy implications in the future.
Or, even more simply, the company could be looking to streamline the convoluted healthcare industry in the U.S., which has seen little change in the last few decades.
“We think health care is high on the list of experiences that need reinvention,” said Neil Lindsay, SVP of Amazon Health Services.
“Booking an appointment, waiting weeks or even months to be seen, taking time off work, driving to a clinic, finding a parking spot, waiting in the waiting room then the exam room for what is too often a rushed few minutes with a doctor, then making another trip to a pharmacy – we see lots of opportunity to both improve the quality of the experience and give people back valuable time in their days.”
