The constant rise in healthcare costs has led some of the nation’s tech giants to offer on-site healthcare for their workers. The latest to join the growing trend of providing on-site or near-site clinics is an online super retailer, Amazon.
According to a recent article by Rebecca Pifer appearing on the HR Dive website, on Tuesday, the Seattle-based company announced that in partnership with Crossover Health, it would place primary care centers in 20 US cities where it has facilities. The plan will be to offer convenient healthcare for approximately 115,000 of its employees and their family members. Among the cities included in this pilot program are Detroit, Dallas-Fort Worth; San Bernardino-Moreno Valley, California; Louisville, Kentucky; and Phoenix. Depending on the success of the pilot program, the company said it plans to launch even more primary care centers in 2021.
The health center will provide preventative care and levels of healthcare ranging from primary to acute and chronic conditions. Workers can receive chronic and preventive primary care. Employees can also get their prescriptions filled, receive vaccinations, physical therapy, and a host of other healthcare services. Some of the clinics will be open as late as 9:00 p.m. and offer telemedicine services 24/7.
Workers who are covered under the company’s healthcare plans may have to pay a small out of pocket expense, while those workers who are not covered would have to pay a $55 office fee.
While Amazon has been progressive in offering its workers a living hourly wage of $15 per hour, it has a strong aversion to letting its workers unionize. The company has also received a substantial amount of criticism fro government officials and the public for not providing adequate protection at its fulfillment centers to keep workers safe during the current COVID-19 pandemic. The health care centers are just part of the solutions that the company is trying to reduce its turnover rate and raise worker satisfaction.
When asked whether the company might plan to offer similar healthcare services to the public, the company said it would take a look at how the health centers did in taking care of the needs of its workers before making a decision.