Humana and Wal-Mart Join Forces to Offer New Prescription Drug Plan (PDP)
13 Juli 2005 - 8:52PM
PR Newswire (US)
Humana and Wal-Mart Join Forces to Offer New Prescription Drug Plan
(PDP) Additional initiative also helps educate seniors about
prescription drug benefit options; Prescription Drug Plan
Information Week is July 18-24 LOUISVILLE, Ky. and BENTONVILLE,
Ark., July 13 /PRNewswire/ -- Humana Inc. and Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.
are joining forces to provide Medicare beneficiaries a Medicare
Part D prescription drug plan (PDP). The program also offers
information to help seniors navigate the new Medicare prescription
drug landscape. In an effort to educate the country's 42 million
Medicare beneficiaries, the two companies this month will launch a
campaign to help beneficiaries understand the important facts and
features of the new Medicare prescription drug program. The effort
will involve all 3,600 Wal-Mart Stores, SAM'S CLUB locations and
Neighborhood Markets across the country. Representatives from
Humana and the Social Security Administration will be available to
help Wal- Mart customers understand their options. Enrollment in
the new Part D prescription drug plans -- created as part of the
2003 Medicare Modernization Act -- will begin in November, with the
plans becoming effective January 1, 2006. Humana has announced its
intention to offer the Medicare prescription drug plan in 46 states
and the District of Columbia, and will offer a co-branded
prescription drug card with Wal-Mart and SAM'S CLUB. Humana and
Wal-Mart will work with the Social Security Administration in
educating seniors about the program. Medicare's new prescription
drug plans will help all eligibles pay for needed prescriptions.
Beneficiaries will find clear and simple information at their local
Wal-Mart, SAM'S CLUB and Neighborhood Market pharmacies. "Educating
people with Medicare about their options in the new prescription
drug plans is essential to successfully engaging these consumers in
an unprecedented opportunity to obtain affordable prescription drug
coverage," said Michael B. McCallister, Humana's president and
chief executive officer. "This partnership will bring people with
Medicare the education they're looking for, as well as the
opportunity to purchase a plan branded jointly by Humana and
Wal-Mart. It's an innovative partnership and we're pleased to work
with Wal-Mart to help people with Medicare learn more about their
choices." "This is an important initiative in helping current
beneficiaries understand this new benefit and assist them in
preparing for the choices and savings they will be able to make
with this new coverage," said David Dible, executive vice president
Specialty Division of Wal-Mart. "We're pleased to work with Humana
on this exciting joint communication effort designed to explain,
simply and clearly, the new options and savings opportunities
offered through Medicare. These savings will benefit local
communities and seniors." Prescription Drug Information Week is
July 18-July 24th. During this week, seniors will be able to go to
a Wal-Mart, SAM'S CLUB location or Neighborhood Market for
information about the new prescription drug program benefit.
Representatives from Humana, Wal-Mart and the Social Security
Administration will be on hand from 9:00-1:00 p.m. to answer
questions regarding the program. Starting in August, Humana
representatives will continue to be available in select Wal-Mart
locations. About Wal-Mart Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. operates Wal-Mart
Stores, Supercenters, Neighborhood Markets and SAM'S CLUB locations
in the United States. Internationally, the company operates in
Argentina, Brazil, Canada, China, Germany, Japan, Mexico, Puerto
Rico, South Korea and the United Kingdom. The company's securities
are listed on the New York and Pacific stock exchanges under the
symbol WMT. Online merchandise sales are available at
http://www.walmart.com/. About Humana Inc. Humana Inc.,
headquartered in Louisville, Ky., is one of the nation's largest
publicly traded health benefits companies, with approximately 7
million medical members. Humana offers a diversified portfolio of
health insurance products and related services -- through
traditional and consumer- choice plans -- to employer groups,
government-sponsored plans, and individuals. Over its 44-year
history, Humana has consistently seized opportunities to meet
changing customer needs. Today, the company is a leader in consumer
engagement, providing guidance that leads to lower costs and a
better health plan experience throughout its diversified customer
portfolio. More information regarding Humana is available to
investors via the Investor Relations page of the company's web site
at http://www.humana.com/, including copies of: - Annual report to
stockholders; - Securities and Exchange Commission filings; - Most
recent investor conference presentation; - Quarterly earnings news
releases; - Replay of most recent earnings release conference call;
- Calendar of events (includes upcoming earnings conference call
dates, times, and access number, as well as planned interaction
with institutional investors); - Corporate Governance Information.
http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20030425/HUMANALOGO
http://photoarchive.ap.org/ DATASOURCE: Humana Inc. CONTACT: Tom
Noland of Humana Inc., +1-502-580-3674, or ; or Jacquie Young of
Wal-Mart, +1-479-277-7589, or Web site: http://www.humana.com/
http://www.walmart.com/ Company News On-Call:
http://www.prnewswire.com/comp/423125.html
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