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Walmart is partnering with startup General Medicine to supercharge its Better Care Services into a full-blown healthcare marketplace. Shoppers can now browse 900+ services — from urgent care to mental health — compare costs with or without insurance, and book care all in one place. It's a retail-style approach aimed at making healthcare as easy to navigate as everyday shopping.
Walmart is teaming up with General Medicine — the startup founded by the team behind PillPack and Amazon Pharmacy — to transform its Better Care Services from a simple provider directory into a comprehensive, shoppable healthcare marketplace. Launched today, the updated platform lets consumers browse more than 900 products and services, including virtual and in-person urgent care, lab tests, primary care, mental health, chronic disease management, and more.
What makes this different from a typical healthcare portal? Transparency. Customers can see estimated out-of-pocket costs based on their individual insurance, compare cash prices across providers, and book care — all before committing. The experience is accessible via Walmart.com, the Walmart app, or Sparky, Walmart's AI shopping assistant. Walmart's 4,600 in-store pharmacists are also woven into the model, bridging digital care with in-person fulfillment.
This pivot marks a notable strategic shift for Walmart, which shuttered all 51 of its Walmart Health clinics in 2024 after they proved unprofitable. The retailer is now betting on a retail-style, asset-light marketplace model instead.
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Why it matters: Walmart's marketplace model could reshape how everyday Americans access and compare healthcare — bringing price transparency and convenience to a system long criticized for opacity. If it scales, it may pressure other retailers and health systems to follow suit.
