Dive Brief:

• Wal-Mart Stores Inc. says it’s testing health care clinics where employees with the company’s health insurance can pay $4 per visit and customers and others can pay $40.

• Nurse practitioners capable of providing a range of services, including lab tests, treatments for some illnesses and chronic condition care management, and making referrals to specialists, will staff the clinics.

• CVS / Caremark, other drugstore retailers, and retailers like Target are also providing health care services in many stores.

Dive Insight:

Health care clinics are increasingly a part of retail operations for companies that already run pharmacies or sell health care supplies. That is in part a function of the higher rate of coverage in the U.S. thanks to the Affordable Care Act. But with payments this low, Wal-Mart Stores may be introducing a new level of competition, making this area something to watch.