Costco is offering healthcare visits to its members for as low as $29 per visit.
The membership club will offer the service in partnership with Sesame, a direct-to-consumer marketplace for healthcare which brings together consumers and healthcare providers.
In a release, Sesame announced that beginning on Monday, members at the retailer will be able to use their Costco memberships to book healthcare visits with providers in all 50 states.
Sesame, based out of New York, said it will not accept health insurance, as its business model primarily focuses on serving uninsured consumers, and those with high deductible plans who would rather pay cash for healthcare. Its simple model looks to keep healthcare costs low for users.
On the homepage for Costco Pharmacy, among the services listed are virtual primary care visits for $29, health checkups (including a standard lab panel and a virtual follow-up visit with a provider) for $72 and online mental health visits for $79.
David Goldhill, Sesame’s co-founder and CEO, said in a statement, “Quality, great value, and low price are what the Costco brand is known for. When it comes to health care, Sesame also delivers high quality and great value – and a low price that will be appreciated by Costco Members when it comes to their own care.”
Costco joins several other retailers who have directly provided healthcare to their customers as demand booms for access to urgent care outside of traditional hospital settings.
In August, Amazon announced it would be making its virtual clinic available to customers nationwide. Last November, Amazon launched its Amazon clinic, which offers 24/7 access to third-party healthcare providers through the online retailer’s website and mobile app.
The retailer said that its customers would be able to access care through telehealth treatments for dozens of common conditions, including pink eye, urinary tract infections, and hair-loss.
In addition to Amazon, other retailers such as CVS, Walgreens, and Walmart, have all offered similar products.
