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Just another step in dominance for Amazon. Pretty soon you will be able to upload your prescriptions to Amazon and Prime Now will deliver within an hour, for $8

Just another step in dominance for Amazon. Pretty soon you will be able to upload your prescriptions to Amazon and Prime Now will deliver within an hour, for $8.99

throwaway5752 8y ago
Realistically, CVS/Walgreens will hire lobbyists or member of the Trump circle and the president will tweet some bellicose messages about WaPo and Bezos that will result in antitrust action. This isn't the same country as it was 3 years ago. Amazon is playing with fire a bit here. This my last edit, but I'm definitely leaving this up so people can link back to it in 18-24 months. edit: Downvote me if you will, but it's public record that he thought it was perfectly fine to threaten a small restaurant (https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1011212766487728133 https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/10112127664877281...), German car co's (https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1010166772912320513 https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/10101667729123205...), Harley Davidson (https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1011584315040419840 https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/10115843150404198...), and (at prior points) Amazon (https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/979326715272065024 https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/97932671527206502...). Countries and companies that have made policy decisions favorable to his family have gotten favorable treatment (KSA, China, Russia, DPRK), and those that have done otherwise (Qatar, AT&T/Time Warner, NFL) have suffered tangible repercussions.
- UnpossibleJim 8y ago
  How has this not been a thing since Reaganomics became standard policy for the last 6 administrations?
  - mrguyorama 8y ago
    I think he is specifically calling out the "tweeting" portion. IE, yes, companies have been lobbying to block their competitors for a while, but it's a fairly recent trend that all you have to do now is tell Trump he's the best and he will put out a twitter hit campaign against your competitors
    - UnpossibleJim 8y ago
      Oh, My misunderstanding, then =). Fair enough I guess. I guess access to the President is cheaper now, through technology. Yay?
- tssva 8y ago
  CVS owns the 2nd largest prescription benefit management provider and is purchasing the 5th largest health insurance provider. They will be able to use differing co-pay levels to drive pharmacy business. Walmart has been negotiating either a purchase or partnership with Humana. This may drive Walmart to be more agressive towards finalizing a deal or maybe even have them looking at a different potential target such as Cigna which has agreed the purchase Express scripts, the largest PBM.
  - throwaway5752 8y ago
    I remember all the way back to when Merck spun out Merck Medco, which Express Scripts acquired (by that time, renamed Medco Health Solutions) to become the largest. Amazon is a guppy in an ocean with this acquisition. And yet Bezos owns WaPo, which is the basis for my statement.
toomuchtodo 8y ago
So now I have to worry about counterfeit pills showing up from Amazon? I’m not overly concerned about their dominance anymore. There are eventually going to be regulated.
- tehlike 8y ago
  A marketplace and something like pharmacy are completely different. They will still get their drugs from known producers, and on the generics side you'd have things like teva.
  - toomuchtodo 8y ago
    I can already get my pharmacy prescriptions from mail order fulfillment houses (up to 90 day supplies even depending on the prescription). What does Amazon offer on top of that? I’ve never not been within 15-20 minutes of a Walgreens or CVS when I needed a prescription immediately, so I don’t see what benefit Amazon brings to this. They’re (Amazon) not faster, I don’t care if they’re cheaper (insurance coverage), and I don’t trust them (supply chain, motivations, etc).
    - CamelCaseName 8y ago
      Well, you're saving the 15-20 minute drive each way (assuming they're not on your way already) and the hassle of talking to someone online. Remember, AMZN is entering the health insurance space as well, so that vertical integration can remove the "is this covered?" question that some with substandard insurance may have. And with regards to supply chain issues, there's no reason for Amazon to open up their pharmacy service to third party sellers. Yes, they'll get a larger selection faster, but isn't that what this acquisition is for?
    - jklein11 8y ago
      To your point, you aren't Amazon's customer, the insurance companies are. They might be able to use their size as leverage for better prices from manufacturers and compensation from insurance companies. There may also be synergies with Amazon's business lines because volume is a big factor in fulfillment costs. All of these factors might give them an edge over other online or brick and mortar pharmacies.

Just another step in dominance for Amazon. Pretty soon you will be able to upload your prescriptions to Amazon and Prime Now will deliver within an hour, for $8.99

throwaway5752 8y ago

Realistically, CVS/Walgreens will hire lobbyists or member of the Trump circle and the president will tweet some bellicose messages about WaPo and Bezos that will result in antitrust action. This isn't the same country as it was 3 years ago. Amazon is playing with fire a bit here. This my last edit, but I'm definitely leaving this up so people can link back to it in 18-24 months. edit: Downvote me if you will, but it's public record that he thought it was perfectly fine to threaten a small restaurant (https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1011212766487728133 https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/10112127664877281...), German car co's (https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1010166772912320513 https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/10101667729123205...), Harley Davidson (https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1011584315040419840 https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/10115843150404198...), and (at prior points) Amazon (https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/979326715272065024 https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/97932671527206502...). Countries and companies that have made policy decisions favorable to his family have gotten favorable treatment (KSA, China, Russia, DPRK), and those that have done otherwise (Qatar, AT&T/Time Warner, NFL) have suffered tangible repercussions.

UnpossibleJim 8y ago
How has this not been a thing since Reaganomics became standard policy for the last 6 administrations?
- mrguyorama 8y ago
  I think he is specifically calling out the "tweeting" portion. IE, yes, companies have been lobbying to block their competitors for a while, but it's a fairly recent trend that all you have to do now is tell Trump he's the best and he will put out a twitter hit campaign against your competitors
  - UnpossibleJim 8y ago
    Oh, My misunderstanding, then =). Fair enough I guess. I guess access to the President is cheaper now, through technology. Yay?
tssva 8y ago
CVS owns the 2nd largest prescription benefit management provider and is purchasing the 5th largest health insurance provider. They will be able to use differing co-pay levels to drive pharmacy business. Walmart has been negotiating either a purchase or partnership with Humana. This may drive Walmart to be more agressive towards finalizing a deal or maybe even have them looking at a different potential target such as Cigna which has agreed the purchase Express scripts, the largest PBM.
- throwaway5752 8y ago
  I remember all the way back to when Merck spun out Merck Medco, which Express Scripts acquired (by that time, renamed Medco Health Solutions) to become the largest. Amazon is a guppy in an ocean with this acquisition. And yet Bezos owns WaPo, which is the basis for my statement.

toomuchtodo 8y ago

So now I have to worry about counterfeit pills showing up from Amazon? I’m not overly concerned about their dominance anymore. There are eventually going to be regulated.

tehlike 8y ago
A marketplace and something like pharmacy are completely different. They will still get their drugs from known producers, and on the generics side you'd have things like teva.
- toomuchtodo 8y ago
  I can already get my pharmacy prescriptions from mail order fulfillment houses (up to 90 day supplies even depending on the prescription). What does Amazon offer on top of that? I’ve never not been within 15-20 minutes of a Walgreens or CVS when I needed a prescription immediately, so I don’t see what benefit Amazon brings to this. They’re (Amazon) not faster, I don’t care if they’re cheaper (insurance coverage), and I don’t trust them (supply chain, motivations, etc).
  - CamelCaseName 8y ago
    Well, you're saving the 15-20 minute drive each way (assuming they're not on your way already) and the hassle of talking to someone online. Remember, AMZN is entering the health insurance space as well, so that vertical integration can remove the "is this covered?" question that some with substandard insurance may have. And with regards to supply chain issues, there's no reason for Amazon to open up their pharmacy service to third party sellers. Yes, they'll get a larger selection faster, but isn't that what this acquisition is for?
  - jklein11 8y ago
    To your point, you aren't Amazon's customer, the insurance companies are. They might be able to use their size as leverage for better prices from manufacturers and compensation from insurance companies. There may also be synergies with Amazon's business lines because volume is a big factor in fulfillment costs. All of these factors might give them an edge over other online or brick and mortar pharmacies.