Wal-Mart Helping the Little Man

Although it caused quite a stir when the idea wasidea. It's hard to imagine what downside there
first spoken of, the plan for Wal-Mart to offercould be. ... The only change will be that others will
generic prescriptions for $4 each has faded fromtry and meet these prices."
the limelight. A perfect time to approach the topicBut, of course, there is a downside. Most private
again. Mainly, how does this sort of price slashingpharmacists have no way of matching these
benefit the American mega-corp? And, how dokinds of prices. It has long been the same
the ripples of this venture effect the rest of theargument against Wal-Mart that they drive
pond?anything smaller than them out of business. This is
To tackle the first question is very easy. Whycertainly a consequence worth noting. There is
would such a seemingly profit hungry corporationanother very human consequence to note.
suddenly drastically slash the prices onPeople in America have long carried the heavy
medications? Because they expect to make aload of the insurance industry and its less than
great deal of net revenue doing it. While viewedhelpful attitude about helping people. Now we not
by many as a selfless act, the Wal-Mart drug planonly carry the weight, but suffer from it in very
is not intended to run at any kind of loss. Not areal ways. We are a country that does not take
single statement Wal-Mart has made sayspreventive measures in health care, we only react
anything about that, in fact, they readily admitto illness and injury that poses a great threat to
they expect and want to profit from thisus. We suffer many ills because we cannot afford
program. Because Wal-Mart can buy enormousto treat them before they stop us. Four dollar
quantities of product, the price for doing so isprescriptions can make a very real difference in
extremely low per unit. However, instead ofthis climate. A family formerly faced with the
making the kinds of profits that turn the heads ofchoice of food or medicine will be able to afford
any suspicious consumer, they will do so at alimited health care much more easily. This certainly
much lower profit margin per unit.does not cure the problem of the system, but at
And that is where the magic is. They will makeleast it staunches the bleeding. We must weigh in
less money in each sale, but the idea is that lowour minds and hearts if the price of losing small
prices attract large numbers of people. In doingpharmacies is equitable in terms of gains in
this they increase overall profit by simply drivingaffordable medicine.
up the volume of sales. There is no happy,This could be a rare example in modern times of
selfless, or saintly motivation here, only the raisingdedicated work toward raising profits is working
of the bottom line in a way that only very largeto also help people live better. Not only that, but it
and economically powerful corporations can do.has been done without mandate by the federal
However, for every action there is a reaction.government. This may be a very small change,
In an article by David Harsanyi of the Denverpossibly ambivalent, step in the right direction. But
post, Dr. Jeffrey Zax, an economics professor atin a nation where many people cannot afford
the University of Colorado ay Boulder, wasinsurance for health care at all, even troubled
quoted as saying this.baby steps are better than digging deeper
I don't see any downside to it. I think it's a terrifictrenches.