Amazon will reportedly be allowed to complete its acquisition of 1Life Healthcare, parent of primary care provider One Medical, without opposition from the US Federal Trade Commission.
Antitrust regulators at the agency won’t sue to block the takeover but still plan to probe the $3.49 billion merger, an FTC spokesman told various media outlets. The acquisition of One Medical, which runs a chain of more than 150 primary care clinics in more than a dozen US cities and offers online and mobile services, will greatly expand the primary care services Amazon is already offering through its Amazon Care brand.
“The FTC’s investigation of Amazon’s acquisition of One Medical continues,” FTC spokesperson Douglas Farrar said in a statement to the media. “The commission will continue to look at possible harms to competition created by this merger as well as possible harms to consumers that may result from Amazon’s control and use of sensitive consumer health information held by One Medical.”
One Medical offers services to individual subscribers as well as to workers who receive its benefits from employers. It aims to speed up access to care with round-the-clock virtual care for patients and quick appointment booking. Amazon Care, which launched in 2019, currently provides medical care in eight cities, including Seattle and Arlington, Virginia, which are both homes to major Amazon offices. Amazon Care is slated to expand into New York, San Francisco and other major cities.
The FTC didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment. An Amazon spokesperson declined to comment.
