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Sam’s Club to sell bundles of discounted health care services

Care Accelerator program to be piloted in three states

Russell Redman

September 26, 2019

3 Min Read
Sams Club pharmacy dept.jpg
Sam's Club

Next month, Sam’s Club plans to begin testing a program that offers members bundles of health care services — including medical, pharmacy, dental and vision care — for a low annual fee.

Called Sam’s Club Care Accelerator Together with Humana, the program aims to provide access to affordable options and transparent pricing on basic health services, the Walmart warehouse club chain said Thursday. Members will be able to choose from four health bundles ranging from $50 to $240 per year.

Plans call for Bentonville, Ark.-based Sam’s to pilot Care Accelerator in Michigan, Pennsylvania and North Carolina starting in early October. In announcing the program, Senior Vice President of Health & Wellness Lori Flees said Sam’s could expand the offering to all members in the future.

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“Navigating the health care system is expensive. According to the Kaiser Family Foundation, the average dollar contribution for health care for families has increased 21% since 2013 and 65% since 2008. At the same time, 67% of Americans say it is difficult to determine what a treatment or procedure will cost,” Flees said in a blog post on Thursday. “The Care Accelerator is designed to solve these problems, especially for our members who shoulder a higher burden of health care costs, like small-business owners or those with high-deductible plans. Through a series of bundled health care services, members will save money on their most common health care service needs, including primary care, dental, optical and alternative medicine.”

Related:Sam’s Club goes chainwide with pickup

Sam’s noted that Care Accelerator is a discount health program — not a health insurance plan — and members will have to pay the care provider the designated rate at the time of service. Partners in the program include health insurer Humana, which already offers Medicare Part D prescription drug plans under a partnership with Walmart, and 98point6, which provides on-demand, subscription-based primary care services via a mobile app.

To use Care Accelerator, members go online to www.samsclub.com/care and select a health care bundle. Options include Starter A and B bundles that each cost $50 a year, a Standard bundle for $100 a year and a Premium bundle for $240 a year.

The Starter A bundle offers free common generic drugs at Sam’s pharmacies, unlimited $1 telehealth visits through 98point6, $60 eye exams and 20% off eyewear at Sam’s optical centers and a $5 prepaid health debit cards to be used within the health services network. The Starter B option has the same services as the A bundle but replaces the telehealth visits with discounted dental care via a Humana provider network. 

Related:Sam’s Club to test new scanning technology

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For the Standard bundle, members get a $40 prepaid health card plus all of the services in the A and B options. The top-tier Premium package includes the Standard bundle plus a $100 prepaid health card, free preventive health screenings, up to 30% off alternative medicine and 10% off hearing aids at Sam’s.

The number of free generics ranges from five to 20, depending on the bundle. Sam’s currently has 572 pharmacies in its 599 clubs, including Puerto Rico. The company noted that the prepaid health cards lower members’ total investment to $45, $60 or $140 based on the option selected.

Designed as a family option for members, the $240-per-year Premium bundle covers up to six people. The preventive lab screenings measure key health indicators for early detection of heart disease and diabetes, while the alternative medicine services provider a discount on chiropractic, massage therapy and acupuncture.

Sam’s said the Starter A and B bundles offer up to a $400 savings, and the Standard and Premium options offer respective savings of up to $600 and $1,100.

“Access to high-quality maintenance health care has been shown to improve overall, long-term health,” Flees said. “We believe this program will help our members decrease out-of-pocket costs so they can better manage their budgets and their health. We’ll use member feedback to add new benefits and features to our Care Accelerator offering.”

About the Author

Russell Redman

Senior Editor
Supermarket News

Russell Redman has served as senior editor at Supermarket News since April 2018, his second tour with the publication. In his current role, he handles daily news coverage for the SN website and contributes news and features for the print magazine, as well as participates in special projects, podcasts and webinars and attends industry events. Russ joined SN from Racher Press Inc.’s Chain Drug Review and Mass Market Retailers magazines, where he served as desk/online editor for more than nine years, covering the food/drug/mass retail sector. 

Russell Redman’s more than 30 years of experience in journalism span a range of editorial manager, editor, reporter/writer and digital roles at a variety of publications and websites covering a breadth of industries, including retailing, pharmacy/health care, IT, digital home, financial technology, financial services, real estate/commercial property, pro audio/video and film. He started his career in 1989 as a local news reporter and editor, covering community news and politics in Long Island, N.Y. His background also includes an earlier stint at Supermarket News as center store editor and then financial editor in the mid-1990s. Russ holds a B.A. in journalism (minor in political science) from Hofstra University, where he also earned a certificate in digital/social media marketing in November 2016.

Russell Redman’s experience:

Supermarket News - Informa
Senior Editor 
April 2018 - present

Chain Drug Review/Mass Market Retailers - Racher Press
Desk/Online Editor 
Sept. 2008 - March 2018

CRN magazine - CMP Media
Managing Editor
May 2000 - June 2007

Bank Systems & Technology - Miller Freeman
Executive Editor/Managing Editor
Dec. 1996 - May 2000

Supermarket News - Fairchild Publications
Financial Editor/Associate Editor
April 1995 - Dec. 1996 

Shopping Centers Today Magazine - ICSC 
Desk Editor/Assistant Editor
Dec. 1992 - April 1995

Testa Communications
Assistant Editor/Contributing Editor (Music & Sound Retailer, Post, Producer, Sound & Communications and DJ Times magazines)
Jan. 1991 - Dec. 1992 

American Banker/Bond Buyer
Copy Editor
Oct. 1990 - Jan. 1991 

This Week newspaper - Chanry Communications
Reporter/Editor
May 1989 - July 1990

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