“Amazon has the scale, and is the master of taking cost out of the supply chain,” says Trish Birch. Excerpts:

“Amazon expanded into the Medicaid market by announcing that it will offer beneficiaries a Prime membership of $5.99 a month, a discount of 54 percent. And while that revelation last week may not have raised quite as many eyebrows as the company's blockbuster partnership with Berkshire Hathaway and JPMorgan Chase it holds the potential to have a major impact sooner.

Amazon has been studying the healthcare market for at least a year, Birch said, and began a competitive focus on Walmart last year with the start of Amazon Cash, which is a way to add money to an account to make quick ordering easier -- even for people who may not have a bank account, credit or debit cards.

Taking that a step forward, Birch said she envisions Medicaid consumers talking to a physician via their smartphone for a $5, or even free, telehealth visit.

‘Primary care will be free or nominal,’ Birch suggested. ‘They'll be able to make primary care cash-based. JPMorgan can provide the tools, all running on an Amazon platform.’”

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