I really don’t trust Amazon with this part of my life, and don’t really want them to become a powerful force in medicine.
I really want to work with local pharmacies on something like this and not faceless, nameless, outsourced Amazon.
Am I alone?
I really want to work with local pharmacies on something like this and not faceless, nameless, outsourced Amazon.
Am I alone?
Yes.
> I really want to work with local pharmacies on something like this
Local pharmacies don't want to work with you and really don't want an initiative like amazon's one to exist.
Amazon usually take advantage of large scale economy to get profits off optimized costs. Local pharmacies just apply a markup to get their profit.
You'd think so, but not on medication. Most of them at least.
Looking into it recently since the business fascinates me, independent pharmacies operate more like gas stations selling gas as a loss leader, making it up on convenience items.
Many drugs don't even get reimbursed at break even by PBMs these days.
Within a decade not a single independent will exist.
Local pharmacies absolutely want to work with you on stuff like this, many have for decades already. Like many industries, they are being squeezed out as some Ivy MBA decides they want every ounce and then some of that consumer surplus. This is done on purpose to push patients to the vertically integrated options like CVS Caremark.
They cannot compete in an environment where consumers will walk over a $3 difference, and they get squeezed by PBMs on the other side.
Anyone fulfilling via Amazon is playing with fire in my opinion. It's gonna work until you eventually get hit by the shortages that are only likely to increase. The ability to talk to a human is going to become extremely important, and likely only available to the very wealthy at this point.
Amazon is less taking advantage of scale, and more that of regulatory capture in my mind. The big innovation is being big enough the other monopoly players can't just totally dictate terms.
Further consolidation means more medical system for the rich and less for the poor, and I’m fundamentally against that, especially when the main selling point is convenience.
No you‘re not. Haven‘t touched or spent money with Amazon for several years.
People act like this societal direction is inevitable.