Prescription savings card: Amazon Prime members can save up to 80% off generic prescriptions and 40% off brand-name medications when paying without insurance.
Here’s What You Need to Know About Amazon Pharmacy and Amazon Clinic
Amazon is further expanding its reach in the realm of health care.
In November 2022, Amazon announced the launch of Amazon Clinic, a virtual care service “that connects customers with affordable virtual care options when and how they need it — at home, after dinner, at the grocery store, or on the go,” according to the retail behemoth.
The announcement comes two years after the launch of Amazon Pharmacy.
When Amazon Pharmacy debuted in November 2020, it was touted as the great disruptor in the prescription fulfillment game.
And even though Prime members and non-Prime Amazon shoppers have the opportunity to save big on prescriptions and can order and receive their medications without ever having to get up off the couch, the disruption didn’t really materialize.
At least not yet. You have to remember it’s Amazon and the move into providing prescription services is only two years old.
CVS and Walgreens still corner the market for brick-and-mortar pharmacies, and Costco joins Walgreens as the top-rated online pharmacies.
Even before it launched Amazon Pharmacy, the online retail monster bought PillPack and through them offers pre-sorted, single-dose packs of a customer’s daily medicine. So much for filling that plastic pill box every week. The packets can even have the time of day the medicine is to be taken.
So can Amazon Pharmacy actually help you save money on your prescriptions? Well, it depends.
How Amazon Pharmacy Works
Amazon Pharmacy is available in all 50 states to both Prime and non-Prime members. Customers can transfer existing prescriptions over to the online platform or ask doctors to call in prescriptions directly.
Amazon Pharmacy’s medications will include typical pills and creams, as well as refrigerated prescriptions like insulin. However, Amazon will not offer Schedule II controlled medications (i.e., opioids).
Here are some of Amazon Pharmacy’s features:
Upfront price transparency: Amazon Pharmacy allows you to compare the price of the medication between multiple drug companies, and you can determine the cost of each prescription if paying with your insurance copay versus using Amazon Pharmacy’s discount card without insurance. This gives you far greater flexibility than you would get at a traditional pharmacy.
Amazon Pharmacy allows you to compare the price of the medication between multiple drug companies, and you can determine the cost of each prescription if paying with your insurance copay versus using Amazon Pharmacy’s discount card without insurance. This gives you far greater flexibility than you would get at a traditional pharmacy. Prescription savings card: Amazon Prime members can save up to 80% off generic prescriptions and 40% off brand-name medications when paying without insurance . Prime members can also collect these savings at more than 60,000 participating pharmacies across the country by using Amazon’s digital prescription savings card instead of paying with insurance. This card functions similarly to ones provided by prescription discount card providers like GoodRx and SingleCare, which offer patients significant discounts on prescriptions when they pay without insurance.
Amazon Prime members can save up to 80% off generic prescriptions and 40% off brand-name medications when paying without insurance Prime members can also collect these savings at more than 60,000 participating pharmacies across the country by using Amazon’s digital prescription savings card instead of paying with insurance. This card functions similarly to ones provided by prescription discount card providers like GoodRx and SingleCare, which offer patients significant discounts on prescriptions when they pay without insurance. Free two-day shipping for Prime Members: Amazon Pharmacy is most advantageous if you are a Prime member ($139 a year), as you will earn free two-day shipping. But even if you don’t have Prime, you can still purchase your prescriptions through Amazon Pharmacy. Free delivery takes four to five days, but you can spend $5.99 to expedite shipping (two days).
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Amazon Pharmacy is most advantageous if you are a Prime member ($139 a year), as you will earn free two-day shipping. But even if you don’t have Prime, you can still purchase your prescriptions through Amazon Pharmacy. Free delivery takes four to five days, but you can spend $5.99 to expedite shipping (two days). 24/7 customer service: Amazon offers online self-service as well as customer service over the phone with real pharmacists, 24/7.
Amazon does allow you to pay with insurance and accepts most major insurances. The price is likely to be comparable to what you would pay at CVS, Walgreens or Rite Aid as your copay, according to Consumer Reports.
Amazon Pharmacy accepts all major credit and debit cards. Customers with an HSA or FSA can input their card information to make purchases as well.
Before You Order From Amazon Pharmacy…
With e-commerce usage at an all-time high, you may be considering leaving your traditional pharmacy in favor of ordering your prescription from your couch. However, Amazon Pharmacy may not always be the best choice.
As with any pharmacy, the surefire way to make sure you’re getting the best deal is to call around. Many pharmacies can also do price-matching if you find a cheaper prescription elsewhere, so if you have a preferred pharmacy, you still may be able to save just as much with them than you would with Amazon Pharmacy.
Don’t forget about GoodRx and SingleCare, which also offer discounts at brick-and-mortar pharmacies. These could get you similar — or even better — savings on specific prescriptions than you’d get with Amazon.
Most importantly, before opting to buy a prescription without insurance because of the savings, consider your deductible. If you are on a high-deductible health insurance plan and would like to potentially meet that deductible in a given year, note that any money you spend on prescriptions sans insurance will not apply to that deductible, thus making it less likely you will hit the annual requirement to increase insurance contributions to medical bills.
Two years after the initial Amazon Pharmacy announcement, Amazon officially announced its new Amazon Clinic offering. Still in its early stages, Amazon Clinic offers affordable virtual care for select health conditions, often faster than patients could get in to see an in-person doctor.
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At launch, Amazon Clinic is available in 32 states, though Amazon plans to expand in the coming months. For reference, Amazon Pharmacy started in 45 states in 2020 and has since expanded to all 50, including Hawaii.
With Amazon Clinic, patients will be able to see pricing upfront, rather than wait for a dreaded medical bill in the mail weeks after an appointment. However, Amazon Clinic does not yet accept insurance, meaning you’ll be paying out of pocket (and costs won’t go toward your deductible).
Amazon acknowledges that telemedicine isn’t right for every condition; sometimes, you need to see a doctor in person for tests, observation and treatment. If you try to use Amazon Clinic for an issue that doesn’t make sense for virtual health care, Amazon will let you know from the start — so there’s no risk that you’ll pay for a consultation that ultimately offers no solution.
Qualifying conditions for Amazon Clinic include acne, birth control, eczema, GERD, hair loss, migraines, motion sickness and seasonal allergies.
The big appeal of Amazon Clinic is the flexibility — you can talk with a doctor about health concerns on your lunch break, cooking dinner or lying in bed. Speed is also noteworthy: While it may take several days or weeks to see a primary care physician, Amazon Clinic can get you connected with a doctor in just a few hours.
The cost of a consultation will vary by provider but does include follow-up messaging with the provider for two weeks. Consultations are solely message-based (no video). Doctors on the platform can write prescriptions — and you can even utilize Amazon Pharmacy seamlessly after your consultation.
Timothy Moore covers banking and investing for The Penny Hoarder from his home base in Cincinnati. He covers a variety of other topics, including health care, insurance, taxes, retirement and budgeting and has worked in the field since 2012.
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