More major companies continue to jump on the problem of healthcare affordability, with the latest pilot launched by Sam’s Club, a membership-only warehouse retailer owned by Walmart.
In partnership with Humana, the company announced the Sam’s Club Care Accelerator Together with Humana, offering transparent prices on bundled healthcare services, such as coverage for generic medications at Sam’s Club, primary care visits, eye exams, preventative screenings and discounts on other medications and prepaid health debit cards. The announcement was made in a blog post by Lori Flees, senior vice president of Sam’s Club Health & Wellness.
The announcement comes just after Sam’s Club’s parent company Walmart added education benefits for its associates to participate in healthcare workforce development programs for just $1 a day. Walmart also launched a pilot primary care clinic in Georgia earlier this month offering primary care services, dental, counseling, labs, X-rays and audiology.
The Care Accelerator, which will be tested in Michigan, Pennsylvania and North Carolina beginning in early October, offers bundled healthcare services for an annual cost ranging from $50 to $240. The dental services are provided through a network of providers via Humana, while unlimited telehealth for $1 per visit is offered through 98point6, an on-demand text-based primary care app.
The priciest bundle, at $240 per year, covers up to six family members, with access to preventative lab screenings measuring indicators for early heart disease and diabetes, discounts on chiropractic, massage therapy and acupuncture services and a 10% discount on hearing aids.
Sam’s Club pointed out the pilot program is not a health insurance plan, with members responsible for paying the providers at the discounted rate for services.
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."