Kroger, Walmart Expand Affordable Pharmacy Services

With a mission to make prescription drugs more affordable, The Kroger Co. and Walmart Inc. have separately teamed up with healthcare solutions providers to enhance their pharmacy offerings.

Kroger on Wednesday launched its new Rx Savings Club as part of its Wellness Your Way platform. Developed in partnership with GoodRx, the Rx Savings Club provides customers with exclusive access to discounts of up to 85% off for generic medications for diabetes, asthma, mental health, women’s health, and gastrointestinal and heart health.

Available across Kroger’s nationwide network of nearly 2,200 pharmacies, the program offers three tiers of low-cost medications, including free, $3 and $6 for 30- and 90-day prescriptions; it has an annual fee of $36 for individuals and $72 for families, which covers up to six people.

"Kroger is redefining the customer experience by introducing new Wellness Your Way offerings like the Kroger Rx Savings Club," said Colleen Lindholz, president of Kroger Health, in a statement. "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."

Free medications under the new program include Norvasc, Glucophage, Zoloft and Singulair, while Lipitor—which GoodRx recently ranked as the most popular prescription in the U.S.—is available for $6 for a 30-day supply and $12 for a 90-day supply. 

Related:Kroger Seeks to Unify Healthcare, Food Industries With OptUp

Similarly, Walmart and Express Scripts have expanded their partnership, providing Walmart access to Express Scripts’ affordable pricing on dozens of brand-name prescription drugs. The company works with drug manufacturers to lower the cost of medications through its InsideRx solution, which provides on average a 40% discount for uninsured Americans.

"Helping customers save money and live better is our mission at Walmart, and a key component of that is to help them save money on healthcare like prescription drugs," said Luke Kleyn, VP of payer relations for Walmart, in a statement. "This new agreement helps both insured and uninsured Americans access to affordable prescriptions."

The Express Scripts partnership serves as an addition to Walmart’s pharmacy savings services, which since 2006 has included $4 for 30-day prescriptions and $10 for 90-day prescriptions of generic medications. The retailer operates more than 4,700 pharmacy locations, providing millions of Americans affordable access to health care services in urban, rural and suburban areas.

"Prescription drugs are the first line of treatment for many illnesses, and it is critical to create and sustain affordable access to innovative therapies," said Amy Bricker, president, supply chain at Express Scripts, in a statement. "Our clients and patients value our ability to deliver quality, cost-effective care on their terms, and we are pleased to partner with Walmart to expand affordable access for insured and uninsured patients."