We all know that there is a stage when we know that something is working and most people can’t tell that what that stage actually is but the experts definitely know it. Well, something similar is happening in the telehealth space as well because we all know that the online clinic visits are convenient, saves money and also benefits a lot more people than the traditional healthcare would which is why we are saying that it works and a lot more people should be using it. We believe that the eureka moment for telehealth has just arrived all thanks to Costco who has just announced that they will start offering $29 telehealth services for its customers.
This means that if you are using Costco then you can get an online health visit for just $29 which means that now you can do a lot more than just shopping at your nearest Costco store. Costco is obviously not going to hire doctors and clinics for this because of reasons best known to everyone. Costco is offering these services “in partnership with Sesame, a direct-to-consumer health care marketplace that connects medical providers nationwide with consumers”. This is one of the reasons why a lot of the startups in telehealth are still going on despite facing challenges as they know there will be someone like Costco who will need their expertise and will partner with them.
“Costco members beginning Monday can book health care visits directly through their memberships in all 50 states” announced the company and added that “its platform doesn’t accept health insurance because it primarily caters to uninsured Americans and those with high-deductible plans who prefer to pay cash for their health care. It said its model helps keep prices of services low for its users”. Sesame’s CEO, in a statement, said “Quality, great value, and low price are what the Costco brand is known for,” and added, “When it comes to health care, Sesame also delivers high quality and great value – and a low price that will be appreciated by Costco Members when it comes to their own care.”
Talking about Costco’s offering, as listed on its website, the visit includes “virtual primary care visits for $29, health checkups (a standard lab panel and a virtual follow-up consultation with a provider) for just $72, and online mental health visits for $79”.
