New Kroger Program Intended to Make Prescriptions More Affordable
The Kroger Co. has launched a new program intended to "significantly reduce" the cost of prescription drugs for customers nationwide, responding to the issue that 200 million-plus prescriptions are left at pharmacy counters annually because customers cannot afford to pay for them.
Added to the Cincinnati-based grocer's Wellness Your Way platform, the Kroger Rx Savings Club is made possible through a partnership with GoodRX, which offers a platform that compares prescription drug prices and offers coupons to help shoppers save on these products. The club provides customers with exclusive access to discounts on commonly prescribed generic medications for such widespread conditions as asthma, diabetes, gastrointestinal health, heart health, mental health, women's health and more.
Shoppers can save up to 85 percent on thousands of prescriptions through the club. Tiers include:
- Free 30- and 90-day prescriptions
- $3 30- and $6 90-day prescriptions
- $6 30- and $12 90-day prescriptions
"Kroger operates nearly 2,200 pharmacies, serving millions of customers across America," said Colleen Lindholz, president of Kroger Health. "Our new partnership with GoodRx provides cost savings for our customers in a simple, practical way and enables us to live our Kroger Health vision of helping people lead healthier lives."
Members of the Rx Savings Club will pay an annual fee of $36 for individuals and $72 for families – up to six people are covered under one family membership. The program is rolling out across the country this month.
Under the program, free medications include amlodipine (Norvasc) for high blood pressure, metformin IR (Glucophage) for diabetes, sertraline (Zoloft) for mental health, montelukast (Singulair) for asthma, and more. Additionally, atorvastatin (Lipitor) recently ranked as the most popular prescription in America by GoodRx and is only $6 for a 30-day supply and $12 for a 90-day supply when using the program.
The Rx Savings Club is another meaningful initiative introduced under Kroger's Wellness Your Way program, providing customers with a variety of personalized health, wellness and nutrition tools, services and programs. It also corresponds with two pillars of the Restock Kroger strategy: Redefine the Food and Grocery Customer Experience and Expand Partnerships to Create Customer Value.
This week, Walmart also struck a deal to help improve access to and affordability of prescription services. In partnership with Express Scripts, it extended its existing network agreement by three years to provide access to its prescription services for Express Scripts clients’ covered members. The companies also committed to deliver additional affordable prescription solutions to millions of underinsured and uninsured Americans.
Also this week, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported that Kroger is acquiring a chunk of the pharmacy business owned by Green Bay, Wis.-based retail chain Shopko Inc. Financial terms were not disclosed.
Kroger operates nearly 2,800 stores under a variety of banner names across the United States. The company ranks second on Progressive Grocer’s Super 50 list of the top grocers in the United States.
