Ever heard of going to the doctor while picking up some lawn fertilizer and bread at Walmart? No? Well, customers in South Carolina and Texas have, and it is the giant corporation's hope that more people across the United States will be able to experience the same thing soon enough.
Unlike other care clinics, like Walgreens or CVS, Walmart is hoping to market themselves as a "primary medical provider" to the public, reports The Herald Tribune. The health care market is vast and open in the United States, and Walmart has stated that if the attempted trials in the Southern states goes well, they hope to expand nationwide by 2020.
Many of the customers that use the care clinics in the Texas Walmart stores do not have a primary care doctor outside of the giant, while other stores like Walgreens often provide the same services, but urge customers to have a primary care doctor elsewhere.
"Walgreens is still trying to be a little careful in how they talk about primary care," said Tom Charland, the chief executive of Merchant Medicine, a health care research and consulting firm. "Walmart puts primary care out there front and center."
According to The Bloomberg View, this situation has an opportunity to be a complete success for Walmart, or a complete failure, depending on how the public takes the new healthcare provider, especially after the Affordable Healthcare Act. Although there is no word of if Walmart will be offering 24/7 care, or just regular 8 to 5 hours, the company has said they are excited for the expansion and what the future may hold.