Besides its pharmacy operations, Walmart has long been a healthcare provider, running healthcare clinics in many of its stores. According to Walmart’s website, they provide services that include primary care, treatment of illnesses and injuries, physicals and wellness checks, management of ongoing conditions, and lab tests and immunizations. The services range in price from $59 to $99 per visit without insurance and also accept a number of insurance plans.
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In an effort to compete with CVS, the retail super giant now appears to be expanding their health services even more. CVS, which acquired health insurer Aetna, announced plans recently to expand its “Health Hub” pilot store to 1,500 locations by the end of 2021. To keep up, Walmart announced plans to open a “Walmart Health center” this month in its Dallas, Georgia store. The new store, which is taking appointments starting Sept. 13, will add services like dental, mental health counseling, X-rays and audiology. A store spokesperson said:
“Walmart is committed to making healthcare more affordable and accessible for customers in the communities we serve. The new Walmart Health center in our Dallas, Georgia, store will provide low, transparent pricing for key health services for local customers. We look forward to sharing more details when the facility opens next month.”1
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Increasingly, American consumers are faced with difficult insurance and care options, setting the market for potential disruption. Walmart is hoping to take advantage of that by offering more integrated healthcare.
Michael Abrams, Managing Partner of global healthcare consulting firm Numerof & Associates, told Retail Dive in an email:
“It’s evident to both inside- and outside-sector players that traditional healthcare delivery organizations are missing the mark. Being the largest U.S. employer, Walmart’s decision to move into this space holds tremendous potential for its workers and its patrons, especially those for whom care is expensive, inefficient and difficult to access.”1
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Walmart has been contemplating some sort of expanded play for a while. Last year the company was reportedly considering acquisitions of two major players – online pharmacy site PillPack and health insurance giant Humana. Neither transaction materialized, and ultimately, Amazon purchased PillPack. However, Humana’s Senior Vice President of Health and Wellness, Sean Slovenski, did join Walmart last summer. According to a report from CNBC, he is leading the current changes in the company.
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Nevertheless, Walmart also faces competition, as others retailers also look at the opportunity. For example, many alls are adding clinics to occupy space once occupied by retail tenants. In fact, electronics retailer Best Buy made a lucrative move when it snuck into the healthcare market with its purchase last year of GreatCall, a health and safety solutions company.
