Amazon will pay to send workers with cancer to another state for care

Seattle-based Amazon will pay the travel expenses for its workers diagnosed with cancer to see specialists at a Los Angeles health system, The Wall Street Journal reported.

The offering, which is open to more than 380,000 of the company’s employees and families, is part of a trend of employers attempting to control healthcare costs among their workforce.

Despite having costs of travel, employers are still interested in working with certain healthcare providers to control healthcare costs and ensure employees get better care. Higher-quality care can also cut down on costs by avoiding unnecessary care.

For its employees with cancer, Amazon will send them to City of Hope, a health system based in L.A., for care. City of Hope has contracts with several national employers. However, about 10% of those eligible to travel for City of Hope from Amazon are likely to do so, the WSJ reported.

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Amy Baxter

Amy joined TriMed Media as a Senior Writer for HealthExec after covering home care for three years. When not writing about all things healthcare, she fulfills her lifelong dream of becoming a pirate by sailing in regattas and enjoying rum. Fun fact: she sailed 333 miles across Lake Michigan in the Chicago Yacht Club "Race to Mackinac."

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