Sam’s Club Rolls Out Health Care Pilot in 3 States
Sam’s Club is leveraging its scale and relationships with such health care companies as Humana and 98point6 to offer members a new pilot program, Sam’s Club Care Accelerator Together with Humana.
According to Lori Flees, SVP – Sam’s Club health and wellness, the discount health program “will give access to affordable options with transparent pricing on everyday health care services.”
Tailored specifically toward members who face a higher burden of health care costs, including small-business owners and those with high-deductible plans, the Care Accelerator offers a series of bundled health care services to enable members to save money on common health care needs, among them primary care, dental, optical and alternative medicine.
Starting in October, the pilot will be tested in Michigan, Pennsylvania and North Carolina, with the potential to expand to all members in the future. At that time, members in these states can go online and choose from one of four bundles ranging from $50 to $240 per year.
Each bundle offers free prescriptions on select generic medications. Free generics range from five to 20 of the most popular medications, depending on the bundle chosen.
The bundles offer opportunities to save on dental services with a network of providers through Louisville, Ky.-based Humana and on unlimited telehealth services for only $1 per visit through Seattle-based 98point6, in addition to vision exams and optical products.
The family bundle, costing $240 annually, covers as many as six family members and also includes access to a preventive lab screening for early detection of heart disease and diabetes; up to a 30% discount on chiropractic, massage therapy and acupuncture services; and a 10% discount on hearing aids.
All four bundles provide prepaid health debit cards, to be used within the health services network of $5, $40 and $100, respectively, effectively lowering the total investment to $45, $60 or $140, according to the bundle selected.
Sam’s Club is a division of Bentonville, Ark.-based Walmart, which operates more than 11,300 stores under 58 banners in 27 countries, and ecommerce websites, employing 2.2 million-plus associates worldwide. Walmart is No. 1 on Progressive Grocer’s 2019 Super 50 list of the top grocers in the United States.
