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Amazon launches a low-cost version of Prime for Medicaid recipients
Amazon announced this morning it will offer a low-cost version of its Prime membership program to qualifying recipients of Medicaid. The program will bring the cost of Prime down from the usual $10.99 per month to about half that, at $5.99 per month, while still offering the full range of Prime perks, including free, two-day shipping on millions of products, Prime Video, Prime Music, Prime Photos, Prime Reading, Prime Now, Audible Channels, and more.
The new program is an expansion on Amazon's discounted Prime service for customers on government assistance, launched in June 2017. For the same price of $5.99 per month, Amazon offers Prime memberships to any U.S. customer with a valid EBT card – the card that's used to disburse funds for assistance programs like Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), and Women, Infants, and Children Nutrition Program (WIC).
It could be a way to get users with certain health care requirements on board before Amazon launches its own health insurance company.
Also at USA Today.
(Score: 3, Insightful) by VLM on Thursday March 08 2018, @03:04PM (2 children)
There seems to be a lot of LARPing that we currently live in a white European country paradise of socialized medicine and some Dr Seuss-style capitalist villain is going to set up something worse than our current system because like a Bond villain he enjoys inflicting pain.
The reality is we have one company which admittedly a significant fraction of the population distrusts or hates, which has a gold plated incredible logistics system, is about to wipe out an industry of somewhat less well run companies.
Its like fretting as if the the orks are invading in LOTR (Or the orks invading Europe?), when the reality is its a lot more like the local GM dealership is about to get wiped out by the new Toyota dealership and life is gonna go on as it was, other than you'll get a slightly better deal for your money.
(Score: 2) by HiThere on Thursday March 08 2018, @07:10PM (1 child)
It's not at all clear that you'll get a better deal for your money, but you might get more reliable home delivery. There's no reason to assume it would be worse in all respects.
Javascript is what you use to allow unknown third parties to run software you have no idea about on your computer.
(Score: 2) by VLM on Friday March 09 2018, @03:15PM
Agreed with the caveat that more reliable home delivery IS a better deal for your money, so even then... Thats why I kinda liked my standard SN automobile analogy in that Toyotas are generally not cheaper than GM but the "total lifetime cost of ownership" is likely better overall, aside from intangibles like driving a better car.