Kroger Health hits major prescription safety milestone
Kroger Health announced it has surpassed 250,000 students completing its Prescription Drug Safety: Know the Truth education program for high school students, marking a significant milestone in its drug safety efforts. The free program, offered in partnership with Everfi, teaches safe use, storage and disposal of medications and aims to reduce misuse among young people. Since partnering with Everfi in 2018, participation has grown dramatically, helping equip students with critical knowledge to support healthier decisions and stronger communities.
Walmart launches new health services
Walmart is kicking off 2026 with a major push into health and wellness, unveiling a new digital health platform and cutting prices on more than 1,000 wellness products in a move aimed at boosting access, affordability and everyday healthy living.
The retailer’s Better Care Services platform gives customers instant access to a curated network of third-party urgent care and behavioral health providers, plus connections to LillyDirect for chronic care support. Consultations can be completed same day, with flexible pickup and delivery of prescriptions and over-the-counter items – and a limited-time $15 discount on select telehealth services beginning January 15.
Walmart is also rolling back prices on wellness essentials, spanning healthy foods, supplements, fitness products and other health staples. Nearly 60% of Walmart shoppers say saving money is a top priority, and the price cuts are designed to meet that need while encouraging healthier routines.
To support broader wellbeing, the company’s Nutrition Hub uses AI-driven recommendations for personalized food and recipe suggestions, and more than 400 budget-friendly “New Year reset” recipes are available online. Walmart’s wellness assortment continues to grow with new products across vitamins, snacks, beverages and tech-enabled health gear.
The retailer will extend its commitment into communities with nearly 4,600 pharmacy wellness events nationwide on January 24 offering free screenings, low-cost immunizations and health consultations.
CVS Health announces progress to “simplify” health insurance
CVS Health announced new progress in efforts to simplify and reduce costs in U.S. health insurance, focusing on smoother prior authorizations, lower hospital readmissions, and cheaper prescription drugs. Aetna, part of CVS Health, now approves most prior authorization requests within 24 hours and is improving interoperability across systems to reduce administrative friction. The company is expanding low-cost primary care, no-cost preventive services, and free virtual care to help lower overall expenses for its roughly 185 million members. CVS Health also promotes biosimilars and shares negotiated drug rebate savings directly with consumers at the pharmacy counter.