Walmart Is Helping Medicare Advantage Customers Seamlessly Use Their Supplemental Health Benefits for Everyday Wellness Purchases
Key Insight: New online badging across thousands of eligible products makes it easier for customers to shop with their health plan.
Key Insight: The retailer is also launching Walmart Everyday Health Signals, a platform for benefit providers to digitally integrate with Walmart, bringing AI-enabled guidance that empowers participating customers to make health-conscious choices.
Walmart is transforming the healthcare shopping experience with new digital innovations to help customers maximize their Medicare Advantage supplemental benefits. For the first time in retail, select customers can easily identify plan-specific, benefits-eligible products while shopping on Walmart.com and the Walmart app. They can track their benefits spending in real time and check out with a mixed basket of healthy food, over the counter (OTC) products and general merchandise for same-day pickup or delivery in as soon as an hour.
About two-thirds of Medicare Advantage members never use their OTC benefits, resulting in billions of dollars forfeited annually.1 Walmart is leveraging its tech-powered, omnichannel capabilities to make it easier and more convenient for customers to use their benefits during weekly shopping trips, launching first with NationsBenefits.
Here's how it works –
- Available now, millions of Medicare Advantage members can add benefit cards to their online Walmart account at Walmart.com/wallet, unlocking a customized and easy-to-navigate digital experience.
- Customers will see a "benefits program eligible" badge on a broad assortment of items like OTC, food and wellness products, which they can quickly add to their cart with one click.
- Customers can also filter search results to include benefits-eligible items, streamlining and simplifying the shopping journey.
- For those shopping in-store, benefits-eligible badging will show up when scanning items in the Walmart app.
- Customers will now see a benefits tracker showing them how much they have left to spend.
"Customers expect more from their shopping experience, and we continuously adapt to offer the most convenient and intuitive capabilities," said Ralph Clare, senior vice president, health & wellness merchandising, Walmart U.S. "We saw an opportunity to streamline the health benefits shopping journey, make it easier for customers to discover eligible items and offer convenient pickup and delivery options that fit their busy schedule. The enhanced shopping experience for health benefits is yet another example of how Walmart is helping customers save money and live better."
A first-of-its kind, AI-powered health platform
Walmart continues to leverage AI to transform retail, today rolling out Everyday Health Signals, a new digital platform powered by AI that makes it easier for customers to eat healthier. In this first-of-its-kind offering, developed initially for health plans and benefit managers, customers can choose to opt in to connect their Walmart.com account and receive AI-driven insights to enhance their well-being. The platform was built by Walmart and is powered by a custom-built personalization engine, among other technologies.
Half of Americans are trying to eat healthier, and research shows that a curated experience with healthier food options leads to better choices 2,3. Everyday Health Signals takes the guesswork out of healthy eating. Once customers opt in, the platform analyzes their Walmart.com retail history to deliver practical tips, like nutrition analysis and shopping lists.
Walmart is kicking off this initiative for Medicare Advantage members with NationsBenefits, where eligible members can receive free, personalized guidance that aligns with their wellness goals. Walmart is expanding the platform to more health plans and benefits managers.
"By allowing customers the opportunity to make more informed choices with Walmart Everyday Health Signals, we're creating the opportunity for widespread health impact," said Pravene Nath, MD, group director, consumer health and data solutions, Walmart U.S. "We're innovating with tech-enabled health solutions that equip customers with a better understanding of how small decisions in the grocery aisle can help improve their overall health."
Everyday Health Signals is part of Walmart's ongoing investment in technology that empowers customers to make informed health decisions. By delivering data-driven insights from retail shopping habits, the platform creates an easier way for people to prioritize wellness in their daily lives. These data-driven insights are generated only when customers elect to participate.
With 145 million weekly customers shopping in-store and online, Walmart is in a unique position to help customers address their health and wellness needs in one-stop. Walmart customers shop for fresh food, an affordable assortment of wellness and OTC supplies and household essentials, plus have their prescriptions delivered directly to their doorstep. As customers continue to prioritize convenience, accessibility and value, Walmart will keep showing up, helping them to make strategic health decisions and leveraging technology to simplify the shopping experience.
References:
- Consumer Healthcare Products Association: Using the Medicare Advantage Over-the-Counter (OTC) Medicines Program as a Consumer Engagement Tool
- Statista: Are Americans Trying to Eat Healthy?
- BMC Public Health: Availability of healthier vs. less healthy food and food choice: an online experiment
About Walmart
Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) is a people-led, tech-powered omnichannel retailer helping people save money and live better — anytime and anywhere — in stores, online, and through their mobile devices. Each week, approximately 270 million customers and members visit more than 10,750 stores and numerous eCommerce websites in 19 countries. With fiscal year 2025 revenue of $681 billion, Walmart employs approximately 2.1 million associates worldwide. Walmart continues to be a leader in sustainability, corporate philanthropy, and employment opportunity. Additional information about Walmart can be found by visiting corporate.walmart.com, on Facebook at facebook.com/walmart, on X (formerly known as Twitter) at twitter.com/walmart, and on LinkedIn at linkedin.com/company/walmart.
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