Costco offering $29 primary care telehealth visits

Costco expands into primary care telehealth: ©Wolterke - stock.adobe.com

Costco is now offering same-day $29 primary care telehealth visits.

The retail giant has teamed up with the online platform Sesame to offer appointments with no wait times. The service, which launched Monday, is now available to all Costco members nationwide.

According to Costco, a standard lab panel and consult will cost $72, while virtual therapy appointment will be $79.

Sesame caters to patients who pay out of pocket for basic care, such as those with high-deductible plans and the uninsured. "Quality, great value, and low price are what the Costco brand is known for," said Sesame CEO David Goldhill in a statement. "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 Amazon, Walmart, Walgreens, and CVS, as retailers entering the primary care space. Walgreens teamed up with Pearl Health to boost physicians moving toward value-based care, Amazon acquired primary care provider One Medical, CVS acquired Oak Street Health, and Walmart is increasing the number and size of its in-store clinics. Even electronics retailer Best Buy is expanding into health care, namely in the home health care arena.