Costco Wholesale Corp. (COST ) has been the latest retailer to offer affordable online healthcare visits, health checkups, as well as online mental health visits at reasonable rates. The giant retailer has partnered with Sesame to offer this new service. The warehouse club wants to expand its brand into the profitable health care sector. Sesame is a direct-to-consumer health care marketplace. Costco announced the new partnership before reporting its fourth quarter financial results.
The home page of Costco Pharmacy’s site lists the online services available. They include the following:
Virtual primary care visits at $29
Health Checkups at $72 (includes a standard lab panel and a follow-up virtual consultancy with a provider)
Online mental health visits at $79
In-person appointments and other Sesame services are also offered at a discount of 10 percent.
There is a great demand for urgent health care access away from traditional hospitals. Many Americans are uninsured and many also have high-deductible plans. Giant retailers and pharmaceutical companies have stepped in to fill the gap between services required and those offered in traditional hospitals.
Sesame is a New York based startup that has secured funds from various large tech and other giants including Alphabet and others. It does not accept health insurance. So, those who are not insured and might prefer to pay cash find such services suitable for their needs. The health provider reportedly offers quality and convenience at affordable rates which is appreciated by consumers.
Sesame marketplace offers both virtual and in-person care. It has prime care doctors as well as nurse practitioners. It also has labs and imaging centers. Both Costco and Sesame said that they were expecting most of the appointments to be online but would automatically offer a 10 percent discount for in-person doctor’s appointment.
Virtual health care providers fuel the booming industry. Other than Costco other major retailers such as Amazon with Amazon Clinic, CVS, Walgreens, Walmart and others offer similar services.
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CWEB Summarized Business Newsletter September 26, 2023
