One of the major issues this campaign, and others like it, had with Walmart when they first started up, was its lack of quality, affordable health care. It was a major issue then, and it's still a major issue, but Walmart has spent a considerable amount of time and money trying to detach that negative stigma from their name. One of the ways they've done this is by opening health clinics in their stores, selling Electronic Medical Records Software, and running disingenuous ads. Essentially, Walmart is trying to do anything they can to get their name connected with "health care" in terms of consumers rather than workers. But, because Walmart is obsessed with low prices over all else and because many of these stunts are about the PR and not the product, the results end up being shoddy.

Some Pharmacists are worried that Walmart's new mail order prescription drug program will similarly be sacrificing quality for profit and, in our opinion, PR.

Here's what The Grand Rapids Press has to say,

Wal-Mart touts it as expanding access to affordable prescriptions along with its existing $4-for-30-days generic program.

But the National Community Pharmacists Association issued a statement saying the program raises questions about patient safety and the cost of treatment when drugs are used improperly, which has been estimated at $177 billion a year.

"Clearly, more patients risk adverse drug events, and the resulting treatment costs would soar if the patient's primary community pharmacist is traded for envelopes and 1-800 numbers," the statement said.

Pharmacist Jim Byington, co-owner of the Village Pharmacy and Ada Hillside Pharmacy, said customer interaction is key.

"Especially with a lot of our seniors, it's a big part of being able to keep track of how they're doing," he said.

Byington listed several examples where familiarity with the customer flagged important issues with their medication, including a new prescription from a specialist clashing with current medication ordered by a previous doctor.

"And when one of our patients is admitted to the hospital, if there are questions related to the medication they take, they call us," he said. "There's not a day that goes by that I don't get a call from one of our three hospitals."

Mike Rose, pharmacist and co-owner of Parkwood Pharmacy, 1106 Burton St. SW in Wyoming, said it is another marketing ploy, and customers must do some research for the best deal.

Wal-Mart and other large chains may offer cheap or free medications, "but they are overpriced on some of the other items not on their hot list," he said. "That sometimes offsets the free medication. The total still may be more than at their normal pharmacy."

He also said the number of people without prescription drug insurance is shrinking thanks to Medicare Part D and other programs.

"Less than 10 percent of our prescription sales are cash sales," he said. "Everything else runs through insurance."