Marc’s Helps Expand OTC, Grocery and Pharmacy Access in Ohio
Ohio discount grocery and pharmacy chain Marc’s has teamed up with health care fintech and supplemental-benefits platform NationsBenefits to enable eligible health plan members to use their NationsBenefits Benefits Mastercard Prepaid Flex Card — powered by the vendor’s real-time Basket Analyzer Service (BAS) — at all Marc’s locations. The partnership allows NationsBenefits to scale its food-as-medicine initiatives, bringing fresh, nutritious groceries and key pharmacy services directly to neighborhoods and making healthy living more accessible.
“At NationsBenefits, we believe food is a crucial component of whole-person care,” noted Michael Parker, co-CEO of Plantation, Fla.-based NationsBenefits. “By partnering with Marc’s — known for its fresh fruits and vegetables and community-centered spirit — we are removing barriers to healthy choices. Now members can use their Flex Card seamlessly at Marc’s stores to purchase nourishing foods and pick up over-the-counter essentials without any extra steps.”
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The integration at Marc’s deploys proprietary BAS technology to simplify benefit adjudication and improve personalized care at the point of sale. Similarly, to ensure that customers have easy access to healthy foods and products, NationsBenefits and Marc’s are enabling shoppers to make informed nutrition and wellness decisions through the following offerings:
Medically Tailored Produce and Meal Kits: Health plans can now offer customized meal recommendations, including GLP-1-aligned ingredients and chronic-disease–friendly recipes, redeemable via Flex Card and using Marc’s fresh fruits and vegetables delivered daily.
Chronic Condition Support and Nutrition Counseling: For those with diabetes, hypertension or weight-loss goals, the Flex Card covers nutritious meal components and snack options created by registered dietitians and NationsBenefits.
When shoppers present their Flex Card at Marc’s register, BAS instantly verifies benefit eligibility and applies allowances for grocery, OTC or pharmacy items, eliminating the need for manual claims and reducing out-of-pocket costs. Each transaction also generates anonymized, ZIP code-level data, giving health plans insights into shopping and usage patterns. These analytics result in smarter benefit design, optimized rewards and incentives, and a better understanding of social determinants of health at the community level.
According to the companies, the partnership shows how fintech and grocery retail can work together to close care gaps, advance health equity and offer meaningful wellness opportunities at retail.
Locally owned and operated, Cleveland, Ohio-based Marc’s serves communities throughout Cleveland, Akron, Canton, Youngstown and Columbus, Ohio, with 60-plus locations. The retailer offers meat, produce, deli meats, cheeses, dairy and prepared foods, along with frozen foods, pantry staples, household, health and beauty, pet supplies and more. Marc’s also carries a huge selection of national and budget-friendly brands, its own Marc’s brand and local favorites.
