Walmart Wants To Be Nation's Biggest Primary Care Provider

[ProSense]

Source: Kaiser Health News.

Walmart -- the nation's largest retailer and biggest private employer -- now wants to dominate a growing part of the health care market, offering a range of medical services from basic prevention to management of chronic conditions like diabetes and heart disease, NPR and Kaiser Health News have learned.

In the same week in late October that Walmart announced it would stop offering health insurance benefits to new part-time employees, the retailer sent out a request for information seeking partners to help it "dramatically ... lower the cost of healthcare ... by becoming the largest provider of primary healthcare services in the nation."

On Tuesday, Walmart spokeswoman Tara Raddohl confirmed the proposal but declined to elaborate on specifics, calling it simply an effort to determine "strategic next steps."

The 14-page request asks firms to spell out their expertise in a wide variety of areas, including managing and monitoring patients with chronic, costly health conditions. Partners are to be selected in January.


Read more: http://www.kaiserhealthnews.org/Stories/2011/November/09/walmart-primary-care-medical-services.aspx

[alp227]

1. what a hypocritical move. Health should NOT be for profit.

Shame on Steven J. Hemsley for encouraging that shit.

[ProgressiveATL]

3. Because it (oops...he? she?) did so well with its employees

And heartily agreed, alp227, health should be about health, NOT profit.

[musiclawyer]

27. Hmm WM must think individual mandate will survive SCOTUS

Only reason this makes sense. But in a perverse way this move my WM also highlights why we need medicare for all.

[SoapBox]

2. This should be enough to make people sick...

Can you imagine?

"Who is your doctor?"

"...Walmart..."

Red flags should be going up all over the place.

[nineteen50]

4. If Walmart can negotiate for cheaper drug prices

why not the government

[AllyCat]

21. Because da gubmint is evil and blood sukking!

[nc4bo]

43. It's not ok for you or I to purchase our prescriptions from outside our borders but

it's quite fine that Walmart can do it.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/al-norman/india-wal-marts-drug-conn_b_108466.html

From this complex global manufacturing and distribution network, a few basic facts emerge:

· * most Americans have no idea that the drugs they are buying at Wal-Mart are produced in India, made by companies that are copying another company's products.

· * although India has the highest the number of U.S. FDA-approved facilities (84) outside the U.S., no one knows how reliable the quality of Indian drugs really are. The World Health Organization (WHO) has warned that the global counterfeit and substandard drug trade is a $35-billion business, with little risk of prosecution.

· * when consumers buy their drugs at Wal-Mart, the retailer uses that money to buy more products from India, in the same way they buy more clothing or toys from China. Once again, the U.S. takes what other countries make. Wal-Mart's sourcing of drugs from foreign countries exacerbates our unprecedented foreign trade imbalance.

Made In China products imported by Walmart and now the same thing is happening with their low cost prescriptions.

We, as in the USA, really need to do better than this.

[newspeak]

62. because little boot's immoral drug bill, while increasing the deficit

and allowed windfall profits for big pharma, took away bargaining rights by medicare. Also, took away customers' rights of buying cheaper meds in other countries. A captive consumer.

[Liberal Veteran]

5. One thing I don't get is the notion that Walmart has such great prices.

Like any store, they have a deal on this or that from time to time, but honestly I've done some comparison shopping (particularly in their food section) and their prices aren't all that great.

[prairierose]

7. Thank you for saying that....I have been trying to tell people this....

So many people say, "well, I do not have a lot of money so I have to shop at walmart because their prices are so good." Their prices are not that good and when it comes to the food, an awful lot of it comes from China and how much of that is ever inspected? I mean the food produced in this country is barely inspected. I think very little of the food from China is inspected.

[Flatulo]

8. Target is pretty competitive with them, and their stores are much more inviting.

Walmart has hit a rough patch, and I can understand why. They are the world's largest employer and they treat their people like shit. But the irony is that these are their core customer base. They're too poor to shop there!

[SoapBox]

9. Ditto! You are so correct...

Funny how blinded people are to this.

[naaman fletcher]

12. I think they did originally,

but then the dollar stores went and undercut them.

[DaveJ]

22. Their quality suffers as a result of their cost demands

I actually think they do their best to cut prices, but the result is lower quality merchandise.

Even something as simple s crackers that are $2.58 there, that cost around $4 at the grocery store -- yes they are cheaper but I've noticed they are on the stale side compared to the grocery store's crackers. I'm convinced that manufactures send their defective and marginal production lines to Walmart. Since they pay the least, they get the worst quality of the bunch.

Not a great way to handle health care.

[dixiegrrrrl]

23. Out here in the deep rural areas, Wal Mart is cheaper than the few other stores around.

With the exception of Dollar Stores.
People who want/need to seriously save pennies shop Dollar stores for dry goods, some grocery items like sugar, canned soups, spices, laundry products.
There are not a lot of options out here in the boonies, without driving 80 miles round trip.
Thus Wal Mart made has expanded rapidly into small towns.

[Dont_Bogart_the_Pretzel]

26. Dollar Store might be a little cheaper than WM but

did you know they charge $1.00 if you want "cash back"?

I only shop at DS only when I have cash.

[dixiegrrrrl]

28. Dunno which Dollar store you might be referring to, there are quite a few kinds.

I do not do cash back at our Dollar General Store, the only one of the 5 kinds here that I shop at.

strangely, I also have never used an ATM machine, I always get cash back at the grocery store, once a week, for folding money. Just realized that...hmmm.

[DAMANgoldberg]

35. Family Dollar...

has that rule.

[BiggJawn]

34. You're right, they don't have "Always the Lowest Price, Always"

Example: Millstone ground coffee. Wally-World, $9.46/12 Oz. Meijer's, $8.46/12 Oz. And that's just for starters. I've noticed more stuff every week that is as or more expensive than other stores.

[sendero]

40. On general merchandise..

.. I agree, they play the same game most retailers play. That is there are some really good deals used to "psych" you into thinking that "prices are low here" but most stuff is not that aggressively priced.

However, on groceries (packaged stuff, their meats are bad and their produce not good) they are way, way WAY lower than anyone else in the Dallas area.

[Liberal Veteran]

42. Here in Wa. State, while some of the larger chains (Safeway/Albertson's) are pricier.

But WinCo is consistently less expensive than WalMart.

[GreenStormCloud]

59. Their prices are consistently low on ALL items.

I have compared and it isn't just on some items as you claim.

[tinrobot]

6. So they're going to import kidneys from China?

[Recursion]

10. Expanded access to basic preventative care is a good thing

While I'm always leery of Wal~Mart, this could have some positives.

[KurtNYC]

13. I agree. In a 2-tier society it makes sense for WalMart to add this

And many people are broke because of health care costs. WalMart gets squeezed by the health care costs that bankrupt their customers. They look at the whole pie, which is rent, food, car, insurance, health care, etc, and, being WalMart, they want to eat that WHOLE pie (not just what is left over after healthcare costs).

[wickerwoman]

11. Yes, nothing like walking down three aisles worth of potato chips, soda and candy

to get to your diabetes consultant who I'm sure will give you completely unbiased and trustworthy medical advice, directing you towards the most effective and lowest cost drugs that the company offers.

[eilen]

39. I hate to say anything positive about Walmart

but they do sell the lowest price glucometer and strips that is very reliable.

[thelordofhell]

14. They can't even provide health care for their own employees!!

Fuck Walmart!!

[Evasporque]

15. WalCare....will be the downfall of America...

Born, fed by, clothed by, entertained by, educated by, employed by, housed by, cared for and finally buried by WalMart...

That is the Republican FreeMarket Dream....

[christx30]

38. You can buy

coffins at the walmart website. So you're not far off at all.

[KamaAina]

16. They're moving into banking, too

er, I mean "financial services".

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=439&topic_id=2266013&mesg_id=2266013

At this rate, they might as well put roofs over entire downtowns and brand them as Walmart. :eyes:

[harun]

24. They've been trying to move in to banking for years but the banks are

more powerful than wal-mart and have blocked the move.

[onehandle]

17. Nationalize healthcare now. nt

[BeaufortPenguin]

18. WOW........LIARS

I just recieved a letter from my local WM Pharmacy informing me that as of January 1st, 2012, they would no longer fill my current insulin prescription under their current healthcare plan and drug formulary. Good thing that my secondary insurance (Medicaid) will continue to fill the prescription at a cost to me of $3.40 per month as opposed to my WM insurance charging me $125.00 per month copay this past year. After becoming Medicaid eligible, my monthly drug costs went from nearly $500.00 per month with WM insurance, to less than $25.00 per month on Medicaid.

My wife is job stuck working there due to my myriad of healthcare issues over the past 8 years. They have her over a barrel, and believe me, they not only know it, but they take advantage of it.

[progressoid]

19. Healthcare that their employees can't afford.

:banghead:

Christy Walton: Net Worth $24.5 Billion

Jim Walton: Net Worth $21.3 Billion

Alice Walton: Net Worth $21.2 Billion

S. Robson Walton: Net Worth $21 Billion

[valerief]

20. PIGS. PIGS. PIGS. nt

[sarcasmo]

33. +1

[JDPriestly]

25. Knowing what a doctor goes through to become a doctor, I doubt that

very many doctors will want to work for Walmart wages.

Medical school is just to grueling and too expensive to permit a doctor to become a Walmart slave.

What you will see is foreign-educated doctors who have not gone through the rigorous interview and training process that our doctors have to pass through.

[DAMANgoldberg]

36. Doctors won't be involved...

If the model is CVS Care Clinic or Walgreen's Health Care Shops, you get Nurse Practioners, which is a psuedo-doctor/nurse combination. The only locations for doctors will be hospital system associated clinics (Carolinas Healthcare, Novant Health, and Caromont locally). Each region has these systems that Wal-Mart will be looking to either buy or work with.

If I'm Concentra Health Care, I would be very worried.

[JDPriestly]

48. Doctors need to lobby hard to make this illegal.

The medical profession is usually regulated at the state level. I would wager that most states will move in to insure that the Walmart medical centers meet state standards and don't just have nurse practitioners out there trying to deal with rare conditions or complex cancer cases.

Walmart's plan is to sort through patients. But that is really not something a nurse practitioner can do without the oversight of a doctor. Diagnosing disease is extremely complex and involves an understanding of science that most nurse practitioners do not possess.

Walmart is going to find itself sued over and over and over and over. And it probably won't be permitted to operate in a number of crucial states.

[eilen]

41. Foreign educated doctors still have to meet the

requirements of our nationally educated ones, in fact, the local medical school here seems to educate more foreign doctors than domestic ones. They don't plan to be Walmart doctors. Maybe Walmart plans to use residents/interns or plans to partner with local hospitals. I am all for increased access to healthcare however don't see this as being better than a community/hospital based clinic.

[JDPriestly]

47. I agree on the access, but I think that Walmart is attacking the medical profession

It will ultimately lower the level of dedication and education of our doctors. A doctor who has interned here is probably at the level that is required.

I am wary of over reliance on nurse practitioners or interns. The preparation that our doctors go through is incredibly rigorous.

The kids who get into good medical schools pass a number of extremely difficult courses in high school and college as well as a lot of special tests. Then medical school is like running the gauntlet to say nothing of the residency which is an endurance test. And then doctors live under the stress of constant fear of making a mistake. They deserve the money that the Wall Street greed bunch make.

Walmart attacked Main Street and we are now seeing the destruction they left behind.

Walmart is now attacking the public schools and, looks like they are now going after the medical profession.

We are seeing how teachers and other public employees fought back in Ohio. Wait till doctors find themselves hanging between Walmart and the Hippocratic Oath.

No. Walmart should not be allowed to go into the medical profession. If they want to do something about broadening the access of the poor to medical care, they should first buy medical insurance for their own employees and then give huge grants without conditions to teams of doctors to care for the poor. Don't trust Walmart. They are destroyers, not builders.

[brooklynite]

29. Will there be a layaway plan for operations?

[goforit]

30. Prevent Diabetes???....LOL, While they push frutose corn syrup!!!

[waddirum]

31. Do you really want people sick with infectious diseases...

... going to the same place where you go to buy produce and meat?

[SKKY]

49. Do you honestly think the two will be close enough together for that to matter?

[LeftyMom]

51. They go there anyway.

Besides, Walmart is already dirtier than a hobo's taint.

[sarcasmo]

32. USA, USA. Walmart health care, yeah that will work.

[boppers]

37. I actually think this is a good idea.

If there is *any* business who knows how to squeeze any penny, relentlessly, brutally, to minimize consumer costs and maximize business profit, it's Walmart.

I think we should totally encourage this.

Let them take over a huge portion of the industry, get doctor's wages back down to a number that reflects their skill and intellect (and liability), use bulk purchasing to drive down prices, use their aggregate locations to build a national network and a refined and streamlined distribution system, use their huge IT systems to optimize delivery, pricing, and needs, (Walmart's IT is nothing short of fucking amazing), and let them become the dominant source of all healthcare in the US.

Then, nationalize the whole company, and cut all the profits, while keeping the efficient systems.

[hunter]

44. Primary care physicians are like teachers...

... their income is lower than a "number that reflects their skill and intellect (and liability)."

Our society does not respect those with altruistic motivations; rather it takes advantage of them and pays them much less than they are worth.

The high costs of health care are a direct result of our insurance industry whose goal is not to keep people healthy, but to control an ever increasing revenue stream from which to siphon greater profits.

Wal-Mart will have the same profit motivation, and this will not improve the general health of the population who obtains health services from Wal-Mart.

As someone said above... Wal-Mart sells high fructose corn syrup and other empty calorie products which are major contributing factors to soaring obesity and diabetes rates. If, through their medical services, Wal-Mart is profiting from health services for problems caused by the products they sell, then we have a very serious and deadly conflict of interest.

[ehrnst]

54. I think that they're doing this to cash in on the growing pharmaceutical industry.

With the mass of people who will be qualifying for Medicare, and the resulting higher demand for prescription drugs, they can just send these people over the the pharmacy counter.

[sarcasmo]

45. No!

[RubyDuby in GA]

46. BNL

Anyone who has seen WALL-E knows exactly what I mean.
That is where we are headed with Wal-Mart.

[SKKY]

50. I've thought hard about this, and I'm having difficulties finding the negative in this...

...if it serves to bring health care priceses down, which is what Walmart is supposedly famous for. I think this could be a very positive development in brining health care to those who need it most.

[ehrnst]

53. It's about driving up their pharmacy profits.

It's perfect - This way, they can dispense contaminated pharmaceuticals from their own warehouse of imports from China to the children of their own underinsured employees, and guarantee themselves payment for the medical visit by deducting the cost from the distraught employee's paycheck.

[humblebum]

52. Whatever happened to anti-trust laws? They are sorely need now.nt

[sarcasmo]

55. No!

[Rosa Luxemburg]

56. It's so kind of them to donate all their profits for caring for the sick!

cough!

[Fumesucker]

57. NO ONE COULD HAVE PREDICTED that with mandated private insurance more players would enter the market

SO STOP SAYING THAT!!!1!1!!

[Octafish]

61. Hillary Rodham Clinton served on the Walmart Board

Which is a coincidence, I'm told, but don't say out loud anymore.

http://www.commondreams.org/headlines06/0312-01.htm

[Aristus]

58. I herewith offer my solemn and formal pledge NEVER to work as a Primary Care Provider

for fucking Wal-Mart!

Hell, to the fuck, NO!

[sarcasmo]

60. No!

[newspeak]

63. gee, and perry and other repukes

want to do away with the dept of education. I can see McDonalds and WM vying for teaching our children the "right" kind of history while having an elective on how to serve your masters.