Well, you also know how many of us feel about Wal-Mart, so I wonder how many others feel the same way? And the media, well, they follow Britney Spears, etc., so, really, what is news? The definition is missing.

David, it may seem like peanuts, but for someone who has little to no income, it's significant. One of my brothers is... limited, for lack of a better word. He's a little slow, but not impaired enough for Social Security (when he applied, they pronounced him "significantly impaired," but not disabled). He has a raft of health problems that require medication, from diabetes to depression. He qualifies for a state program that will pay for three prescriptions a month. He actually needs something like 7 or 8 prescriptions, so he has to choose which of the medications he will get. Obviously, he chooses the ones that keep him alive, like insulin and blood pressure medication. That leaves his mental conditions untreated. I help him financially, but I've been, until a few months ago, a single-income single mom, and I haven't had enough to spare to cover all his medications.

Until WalMart started their low dollar flat fee prescriptions, that is. Now he's getting most of the medications he needs. It's been a godsend. WalMart has a lot of problems as a corporation, but this program is a significant benefit for people who don't have other options. Without a national health care program, there aren't many of those out there for people without means.

So maybe in the scheme of the universe, or even the country, this is a drop in the bucket; but it was like an ocean of blessings in my brother's life.

I'm responding to the fact that Wal-Mart gets the coverage and others don't, per your original piece, as well as "what is news?". Many other pharmacies have similar plans, so why weren't they publicized? Many families have members where the lower the price the better because so many meds are required. Mine included. Many pharmacies will match the lowest price of another pharmacy.

Hey, Joan, that's why I'm not dismissing the significance of Wal-Mart's program; I've said that I think Wal-Mart's various sustainability efforts represent one of the most interesting (and, if we can keep our inner skeptics at bay, hopeful) developments going. (Much more so than politicans' latest yakking about "green collar jobs," whatever in blazes those are.)

I just think this $1 billion milestone communicates nothing. Whereas your few paragraphs about your brother communicate EVERYTHING.

Hey David,

Been a while, but trying to catch up...

Okay, where to start? Well, I guess it's time Wal-Mart had some good news on the PR front. Wonder if Edelman was attached to this one, or that's why they did well on it?

Why did Wal-Mart get the attention and others didn't? Hate to say it, but it was probably the "useless corporate press release" attached to a heft corporate name, pitched by a paid corporate PR person doing a good job (unless an Edelman account manager?) getting the story in front of eyes that need to see it to cover it.

$1B is nothing when you consider that that's someone's accounting probably of the inflated retail values of the drugs when most folks wouldn't have actually paid out those dollars (case in point, Joan's brother just went without, and others would likely have found a lower that suggested retail price somehow). But the story is still significant because Joan's brother is not going without and others are finding lower prices with Wal-Mart than they would have found otherwise.

My question is did Wal-Mart PR contribute to the strategic decision to pursue the program to begin with? What was the business value to Wal-Mart to pursuing it? Are they still making money or are they knowingly losing money on the program doing the socially responsible thing (realist in me says they're still making money and I don't fault 'em for it).

michael clendenin

Michael--

Your questions have two things in common:

1. They are all good.

2. They went unasked by just about every one of these media outlets, if not all.

We've missed you. Glad to have you back.

DM

David,

Thanks, and I've missed being here and solemnly swear never to stray again. In fact, started my own blog (shameless plug: http://michaelclendenin.blogspot.com/) and have added yours to my blog roll because I think this is one of the few valuable ones that entertain and stimulate at the same time. Well, let's face it, you kick my brain at times, and I love that.

I truly would love to learn more about the genesis of the program and the Wal-Mart PR. Was it in-house, agency or just good intrepid journalism? The idealist in me wants to hear that the PR/Corporate Comm department had a significant part in generating the program. The realist says there's a business opportunity behind and God bless 'em if they do find a way to serve the demand for cheaper drugs while making a profit (Hello, Exxon, can you take a moment from your Supreme Court arguments against the Valdez fine to read that?)

Helping the needy to pay for their prescriptions is a great service. If someone needs more discounts that just Wal-Mart's $4 generics, there a card at www.rxdrugcard.com that gives discounts on brands too. Prices posted on their website.