Jeff Bezos’ company began 2018 with the announcement that it would work with Berkshire Hathaway and JPMorgan Chase to form an independent health care company for their employees. In March, the company launched Uber Health, which lets health providers book rides for patients or caregivers. The FDA clearance marks the surest sign yet that Apple is increasingly moving away from simply being a fitness company into being a health company. Instead of focusing on health care like the other three companies, its focus is on health research. The health care company won’t affect consumers at large, but the PillPack acquisition and the medical records software could have big implications. Finally, the long-running Apple Health Study, done in partnership with Stanford University, wraps up at the end of January, so Apple may be sharing interesting results throughout the year. From Amazon and Apple opening clinics to Uber launching a medical transit program, technology giants spent 2018 moving into the health care space.
