Accessing healthcare should be as easy and affordable as shopping at Costco - and for Costco members, it now is. On September 25, Sesame and Costco announced a partnership to offer special discount pricing to all Costco Members on a broad range of outpatient medical care offered at Sesame.

“Quality, great value and low price are what the Costco brand is known for,” said David Goldhill, Sesame’s co-founder and CEO, and a serial author on American healthcare reform. “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.”

We've addressed some FAQs about the partnership and how it works below:

What kind of perks do Costco members receive?

All Costco Members will receive Sesame’s best pricing on a range of health services across all 50 states, such as:

● Virtual primary care, just $29.
● Health check-ups (a standard lab panel, plus a virtual follow-up consultation with a provider), just $72.
● Virtual mental health therapy, just $79.
● Plus, 10% off of all other Sesame services, including in-person appointments.

How do Costco members access their perks?

Before Costco members can access special discount pricing on Sesame, they will need to create an account and verify their Costco membership via their Costco.com account. To get started, click here.

Why is this partnership unique?

Many retailers are expanding their healthcare offerings by offering preventative and urgent care services in-store, as well as pharmacies. By partnering with Sesame, Costco is providing its members access to Sesame’s marketplace of low-price healthcare services, virtually or in-person with a provider, all at an exclusive discount. With the option to bring healthcare into their home, Costco members will have access to care in a setting that’s right for them, along with the ability to develop long-term doctor-patient relationships with a Sesame provider.

What is Sesame?

Sesame has built a unique health care marketplace, connecting thousands of outpatient healthcare providers covering all 50 United States with American consumers seeking high-quality, convenient medical care at half the price of what is typical.

By bringing marketplace dynamics to consumer healthcare for the first time, Sesame has created an environment where providers actually compete to serve patients, regardless of their insurance status. The resulting competition lowers the price of care, drives complete price transparency, provides ready access to health providers (the majority of appointments on Sesame take place within two hours), and ensures a high-quality consumer experience with top-rated providers.

Providers in the Sesame marketplace include primary care doctors and nurses, more than 40 health specialties, labs and imaging centers; and are inclusive of both virtual and in-person care.

Sesame doesn’t accept health insurance (which also keeps prices low). This makes it ideal for Costco Members that prefer to pay cash for their health care, whether it is because they are enrolled in high deductible insurance plans, are uninsured, or simply appreciate the price, quality and convenience of Sesame.