Amazon’s health benefits program continues to expand.
Purchase, New York-based Teladoc, a telehealth provider, has joined Amazon’s Health Benefits Connector (formerly known as the Health Conditions Program) for cardiometabolic support, the companies announced on Monday. The Health Benefits Connector matches people to digital health companies outside of Amazon that are covered by their employer. Amazon has been building this program over the last year, also offering access to Hinge Health for musculoskeletal care, Rula and Talkspace for mental health support, and Omada for diabetes treatment.
Amazon customers eligible for Teladoc Health’s services in diabetes, hypertension, pre-diabetes and weight management can now enroll directly through the Health Benefits Connector. When customers search for products related to cardiometabolic conditions on Amazon, the company will promote Teladoc Health’s services. Amazon verifies whether the consumer’s insurance plan covers the digital health program using details like their legal name, date of birth, employer name and insurance carrier.
Through Teladoc Health’s cardiometabolic programs, patients gain access to a care team (which includes providers, coaches, registered dietitians, mental health coaches and emergency response specialists). They can also track their physical and mental health via the Teladoc Health app.
“This [partnership] is around finding new and different ways to engage people in our products and services. We offer chronic condition management programs extensively,” said Chuck Divita, CEO of Teladoc Health, during a recent presentation at the JPMorgan Healthcare Conference. “And so we have a lot of people out there that we can recruit and enroll, and it’s another avenue for us to have an enrollment point.”
While joining Amazon’s Health Benefits Connector offers a new way for consumers to access Teladoc Health’s services, it remains to be seen how it supports growth for the telehealth company.
“We’ll see how this plays out in terms of actual growth,” said Mala Murthy, CFO of Teladoc Health, at the JPMorgan conference. “So I wouldn’t count on it bringing revenue for us very quickly, but it is certainly something that we will continue to pursue in terms of growing our chronic care program.”
Currently, more than half of adults in the U.S. battle at least one chronic condition, and many struggle to access care. About a quarter of U.S. adults don’t know about all the health benefits available to them via their health plan.
“The scale and expertise of our two organizations give us a unique opportunity to strengthen our impact on healthcare together,” said Aaron Martin, vice president of healthcare at Amazon, in a statement.
Other digital health companies that address cardiometabolic conditions include Virta Health and Vida Health.
Photo: mikdam, Getty Images
