Wal-Mart's Drug Plan

Just an update on Wal-Mart's prescription drug program that I blogged about here.  The company has announced that it is expanding the program (which offers monthly supplies of generics for $4):

to offer 90-day supplies for $10 and add several women's medications at a discount. It also said it would lower the price of more than 1,000 over-the-counter drugs.

That list of women's medications includes very common breast cancer and osteoporosis drugs. 

Once again, Wal-Mart demonstrates that "big" and "profitable" can be completely compatible with "making people better off."  The next time someone asks how private initiatives, whether for profit or civil society, will take care of the poor and the sick (or women for that matter), you might remind them of this program.  And then you can compare this to Medicare and Medicaid, where costs keep rising and service keeps declining.

HT:  Michael Moynihan at Hit and Run.  Wal-Mart defenders might also see the new Utne reader piece Michael has on the big boxes.  UPDATE:  that Utne piece is a reprint of Michael's original piece in Reason in January 2008.

Comments

[Ranjit Mathoda]

My essay, "Is Walmart really more evil than Google?", may be of interest: http://mathoda.com/archives/184