Walgreens is joining rival drugstore chain CVS Health in expanding home deliveries for prescriptions nationwide, as stores continue adjusting to a retail world made more consumer-friendly by online competition. Walgreens said Thursday it will partner with FedEx to deliver prescriptions as soon as the next day for a $4.99 fee, and it also is providing…
Merger Cancellation Pushes Rite Aid Into Uncertain Future
Rite Aid shares plunged Thursday as the company headed into an uncertain future after calling off its merger with the grocer Albertsons. Analysts and retail insiders questioned the drugstore chain’s prospects after it ended a planned takeover by Albertsons before Rite Aid shareholders could vote on it. That vote also faced shaky prospects due to…
Many Cancer Patients Juggle Care Along With Financial Pain
Josephine Rizo survived chemotherapy, surgery, and radiation, but breast cancer treatment wrecked her finances. Money was already tight when doctors told the Phoenix resident she had an aggressive form of the disease. Then she took a pay cut after going on disability leave, and eventually lost her job and insurance coverage. During treatment, Rizo got…
California Moves To Defend Law Allowing Life-Ending Drugs
California’s attorney general is asking an appeals court to quickly block a judge’s decision to toss a 2016 state law allowing the terminally ill to end their lives. Attorney General Xavier Becerra on Monday requested an immediate stay and the reversal of a judge’s ruling last week that the law was unconstitutionally approved by the…
Big Investor Offers About $6.5 Billion For Athenahealth
Prominent athenahealth investor Elliott Management Corp. is offering about $6.5 billion to take the medical billing software maker private after saying it has grown frustrated with the company’s performance. Athenahealth stock soared Monday after the shareholder outlined its unsolicited bid. The investor says it owns about a 9 percent stake in athenahealth, and the company…
Grocer Albertsons Eyes Rite Aid Deal In Health Care Push
The owner of Safeway and other grocery brands is buying the drugstore chain Rite Aid as retailers continue to plunge deeper into health care and adjust to swiftly changing shopping habits. Albertsons Companies executives said Tuesday that their purchase of Rite Aid’s more than 2,500 remaining stores will help the combined company become a “leader…
Amazon, Buffett, And JPMorgan Join Forces On Health Care
Three of corporate America’s heaviest hitters — Amazon, Warren Buffett and JPMorgan Chase — sent a shudder through the health industry Tuesday when they announced plans to jointly create a company to provide their employees with high-quality, affordable care. The announcement was short on details about precisely what the independent company will do. But given…
Walmart Offers Way To Turn Leftover Opioids Into Useless Gel
Walmart is helping customers get rid of leftover opioids by giving them packets that turn the addictive painkillers into a useless gel. The retail giant announced Wednesday that it will provide the packets free with opioid prescriptions filled at its 4,700 U.S. pharmacies. The small packets, made by DisposeRX, contain a powder that is poured…
UnitedHealth Ventures Deeper Into Care With Nearly $5B Deal
The nation’s biggest health insurer is spending nearly $5 billion to buy hundreds of clinics, just three days after rival Aetna announced a bigger tie up with CVS Health Corp. UnitedHealth Group Inc. said Wednesday that it will buy DaVita Medical Group in a deal that extends the reach of its Optum health care services…