Private-Sector Health Reform

http://www.futureofcapitalism.com/2011/01/private-sector-health-reform

Sam's Club, owned by Walmart, is going to start offering "health screenings" for $99 than include a blood test, "two health coaching sessions, access to a 24/7 nurse hotline and online health tracking tools," NPR reports.

The press release from U.S. Preventive Medicine, a privately held firm that is offering the kits and services via Sam's Club, says Sam's Club stores are also offering "free monthly health screenings" ("free" after you pay the fee to join Sam's Club) that include:

• Blood pressure checkups
• Bone density scans
• Body mass index assessment
• Cholesterol and glucose tests
• Hearing and vision screening

Sam's Club is also in the business of selling electronic medical records solutions to doctor's practices, as we reported here in the post on Epic Systems, The Bloomberg of Electronic Medical Records. It also has pharmacies with low-cost generic drugs.

With all the caveats that this $99 plan is no substitute for a doctor and isn't going to cure your cancer or perform open-heart surgery, it's worth asking which is the better route: the trillion dollar, 2,000-plus-page ObamaCare approach, or the $99 Sam's Club approach? They aren't mutually exclusive. But in terms of value in improved health for dollar spent, my instinct is that the Sam's Club approach is more promising.

by Ira Stoll  |  Jan 25, 2011 at 10:03 am Related Topics:  Health Care, President Obama receive the latest by email: subscribe to the free futureofcapitalism.com mailing list