Amazon starts offering healthcare service to other employers

Amazon.com Inc is expanding its virtual healthcare service to other Washington state employers starting on Wednesday and to its own employees and other businesses nationwide this summer, the company said in a news release.

Piloted in September 2019 for staff near its Seattle headquarters, “Amazon Care” lets employees video-chat with doctors for diagnoses and referrals. It also facilitates housecalls and drug delivery in greater Seattle, a non-virtual benefit that Amazon said would be available in greater Washington, D.C., and Baltimore in the coming months.

The move shows how the No. 2 US private employer is diving further into healthcare, the latest industry it has aimed to disrupt after retail, enterprise technology and Hollywood.