“Making this available to other employers is a big step,” said Amazon Care Director Kristen Helton in a phone interview. “It's an opportunity for other forward-thinking employers to offer a service that helps bring high-quality care, convenience and peace of mind.” Amazon launched the service 18 months ago for its Washington state employees. Helton said users have given it superior reviews, and business customers were inquiring about being able to buy into the service for their own workers. Helton said the product is designed to be a supplement or an additional benefit to existing coverage provided by an employer. Consumer demand for telemedicine and virtual health care has exploded during the pandemic. Stephen Morgan, a medical professor at Virginia Tech and chief medical information officer at the Carilion Clinic in southwest Virginia, said virtual visits increased there from about 100 a month before the pandemic to about 800 a day within a two-week span.