[Michael]

<div class="quote-container"><span>Quote:</span>
<div class="quote-block">Wal-Mart Stores, facing pressure from critics who call its employee health care coverage inadequate, plans to begin selling nearly 300 generic prescription drugs for a sharply reduced price of $4 for a month's supply.<br><br><br><br>
The world's biggest retailer said Thursday that it will test the program in Florida and it will include 291 generic drugs available for conditions from allergies to high-blood pressure. The plan is available to its employees and customers, including those without insurance.<br><br><br><br>
Wal-Mart officials said the reduced price represents a savings to the customer of up to 70 percent on some drugs.<br></div>
</div>
<br><br><br>
Full story...<br><br><br><br><a href="http://articles.moneycentral.msn.com/News/Wal-MartToSellGenericDrugsFor4Dollars.aspx" target="_blank">http://articles.moneycentral.msn.com...r4Dollars.aspx</a>

 

[IamJen]

Interesting. I'd be curious to hear about the back-door politics that went on there between WM, the gov't and the pharmaceutical companies.<br><br><br><br>
I can see where it would help lots of older folks (particularly in Florida), who are more likely to be on a variety of medications. I'm not sure it's going to be all that great for the average employee, as they still have to pay for Dr. visits, lab tests, etc. The most common things prescribed to families with children, like cough syrup, painkillers and antibiotics are relatively inexpensive anyway.<br><br><br><br>
Still, not an altogether bad thing.

 

[GhostUser]

I think it's great. Good for those folks who can't afford their prescriptions any other way. My dad spends over $600 a month on his right now. We may look into changing to WalMart. As much as I don't like it...<br><br><br><br>
His prescriptions are costing his half of his income right now. Anything he can save on them would be good. I wonder if this will drive down the prices at the regular drug stores?

 

[Gnome Chomsky]

I wonder if generic oxycontin is on the list...<br><br><br><br>
ebola

 

[kpickell]

That's awesome!<br><br><br><br>
It's really what the US needed to curb the inane price guaging, was for a superpower to step up and offer drugs at an affordable price, and hopefully start some competition going.

 

[Michael]

Apparently Target will match...<br><br><br><br><div class="quote-container"><span>Quote:</span>
<div class="quote-block"><b>Target Takes Aim At Generics, Too</b><br><br><br><br>
Minneapolis-based Target Corp., the country's No. 2 discounter behind Wal-Mart, said it would match its rival's lower prices on generic prescription drugs in the Tampa Bay area immediately "consistent with its long-standing practice to be price competitive with Wal-Mart."</div>
</div>
<br><br><br>
Full story...<br><br><br><br><a href="http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2006/09/22/business/main2032485.shtml" target="_blank">http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2006/...n2032485.shtml</a>

 

[evilvegan]

Wal-mart is so evil....if they'd just pay their employees enough that they could actually afford to shop, even at Wal-mart, they wouldn't have to do all of this rear end covering. I vowed to never set foot in one 3 years ago, and I've stuck to it, plan to continue.

 

[GhostUser]

Ahhh. Competition.<br><br><br><br>
Can't wait to see everyone run away from the mom 'n' pop drugstores and their favorite pharmacist to go to Walmart/Target, then complain about how evil Walmart/Target are.

 

[IamJen]

Not everyone. <img alt="" class="inlineimg" src="/images/smilies/wink3.gif" style="border:0px solid;" title="">

 

[evilvegan]

<img alt="" class="inlineimg" src="/images/smilies/thinking.gif" style="border:0px solid;" title=":think:"> Was that a shot at me? Grr. RRrrr. <img alt="" class="inlineimg" src="/images/smilies/grin.gif" style="border:0px solid;" title=""><br><br><br><br>
Admittedly, the rising cost of healthcare is outragous. It also happens to be what SELLS. It's a conspiracy, I'm telling you!

 

[GhostUser]

<div class="quote-container"><span>Quote:</span>
<div class="quote-block">Originally Posted by <strong>evilvegan</strong> <a href="/forum/post/0"><img alt="View Post" class="inlineimg" src="/img/forum/go_quote.gif" style=""></a><br><br><img alt="" class="inlineimg" src="/images/smilies/thinking.gif" style="border:0px solid;" title=":think:"> Was that a shot at me? Grr. RRrrr. <img alt="" class="inlineimg" src="/images/smilies/grin.gif" style="border:0px solid;" title=""><br><br><br><br>
Admittedly, the rising cost of healthcare is outragous. It also happens to be what SELLS. It's a conspiracy, I'm telling you!</div>
</div>
<br>
No, just a shot in the general direction of the Walmart-haters (which is something like 99.9999% of VB). <img alt="" class="inlineimg" src="/images/smilies/tongue3.gif" style="border:0px solid;" title="">

 

[Tesseract]

I for one still will not set foot in a Wal-mart, but my hat is off to anyone willing to help make prescription drugs more easily available to people who need them.<br><br><br><br>
OTOH, if Wal-mart's employee health plan is really that inadequate, offering cheap generics is hardly a substitute for genuinely decent health coverage. For example, what good will $4 drugs do you if your health plan won't cover (or will only cover a small portion of) the expensive diagnostic procedure you need to identify your condition and determine the best treatment, and you can't afford it out of pocket? IME, diagnostic tests and imaging tend to be some of the most expensive out-of-pocket items. I seem to recall I had to pay hundreds of dollars OOP for CT scans and MRIs on my broken ankle a few years ago. Of course, my OOP expenses on the two surgeries on my ankle dwarfed that. Prescription drugs were the least of my worries.

 

[evilvegan]

Veggiejanie, I was joking <img alt="" class="inlineimg" src="/images/smilies/tongue3.gif" style="border:0px solid;" title=""><br><br><br><br>
I think it's amazing how many people admitt that they know how horrible walmart is on our environment, how poorly they treat their employees, and how bad they are for our economy, but still go there to "save money." It's a prisoner's dilema.

 

[GhostUser]

I know. <img alt="" class="inlineimg" src="/images/smilies/tongue3.gif" style="border:0px solid;" title=""><br><br><br><br><div class="quote-container"><span>Quote:</span>
<div class="quote-block">Originally Posted by <strong>evilvegan</strong> <a href="/forum/post/0"><img alt="View Post" class="inlineimg" src="/img/forum/go_quote.gif" style=""></a><br><br><br>
I think it's amazing how many people admitt that they know how horrible walmart is on our environment, how poorly they treat their employees, and how bad they are for our economy, but still go there to "save money."</div>
</div>
<br><br><br>
You hit the nail on the head.

 

[kpickell]

<div class="quote-container"><span>Quote:</span>
<div class="quote-block">Originally Posted by <strong>evilvegan</strong> <a href="/forum/post/0"><img alt="View Post" class="inlineimg" src="/img/forum/go_quote.gif" style=""></a><br><br>
Wal-mart is so evil....if they'd just pay their employees enough that they could actually afford to shop, even at Wal-mart, they wouldn't have to do all of this rear end covering.</div>
</div>
<br>
I hear this comment a lot, but it's so strange to me. In our area starting employees at Wal-Mart make more money than I made at my current job with a college degree. Yes, my first two years I had to share an apartment with a roommate, but after just two years I was able to save enough money to buy my own house and live on my own. Wal-Mart pays a decent wage for an unskilled job as far as I'm concerned, 60% higher than minimum wage, and 10% higher than I made out of college.<br><br><br><br>
Then again I really wish the government would do away with all minimum wage laws altogether and let employees pay whatever they wish.

 

[GhostUser]

<div class="quote-container"><span>Quote:</span>
<div class="quote-block">Originally Posted by <strong>kpickell</strong> <a href="/forum/post/0"><img alt="View Post" class="inlineimg" src="/img/forum/go_quote.gif" style=""></a><br><br><br><br><br>
Then again I really wish the government would do away with all minimum wage laws altogether and let employees pay whatever they wish.</div>
</div>
<br><br><br>
Really?

 

[Dirty Martini]

I don't think it has as much to do with the wages, as it does with the intentional scheduling of hours to cause someone to be part-time (34 hours and less, right?) so that they don't qualify for benefits, as well as some pretty substantial anti-unionization policies.

 

[Tesseract]

If their benefits package defines less than 35 hours as part-time and not eligible for benefits, that's pretty stingy right there. I don't think I've ever worked for anyone who required more than 30 hours/wk to be eligible for benefits.

 

[GhostUser]

<div class="quote-container"><span>Quote:</span>
<div class="quote-block">Originally Posted by <strong>veggiejanie</strong> <a href="/forum/post/0"><img alt="View Post" class="inlineimg" src="/img/forum/go_quote.gif" style=""></a><br><br>
Ahhh. Competition.<br><br><br><br>
Can't wait to see everyone run away from the mom 'n' pop drugstores and their favorite pharmacist to go to Walmart/Target, then complain about how evil Walmart/Target are.</div>
</div>
<br><br><br>
Are there any mom and pop drug stores anymore? I haven't seen one in ages. All we have are corporate CVS, Walgreens, and RiteAid.

 

[GhostUser]

<div class="quote-container"><span>Quote:</span>
<div class="quote-block">Originally Posted by <strong>SotallyTober</strong> <a href="/forum/post/0"><img alt="View Post" class="inlineimg" src="/img/forum/go_quote.gif" style=""></a><br><br>
Are there any mom and pop drug stores anymore? I haven't seen one in ages. All we have are corporate CVS, Walgreens, and RiteAid.</div>
</div>
<br><br><br>
Probably just in the small towns. I am from a very small town, and although we have a Walmart about 10 minutes away, we also have 2 "mom and pop" drugstores/pharmacies that have been there for awhile.