Walgreens To Sell Insurance?

According to CNN, drug store chain Walgreens is preparing to sell health insurance this fall, although the company did not confirm or deny the report. Health reform mandates the creation of federal and state-funded public health insurance exchanges by 2014 that will offer subsidized insurance for uninsured and underinsured people -- although with the latest Federal Appeals Court ruling striking down parts of the law, whether the law survives the appeals process remains questionable. Retailers are among firms that are actively looking into starting private health insurance exchanges that are separate from public exchanges. Investment banking firm TripleTree estimated that from 2014 through 2019, as many as 36 million consumers will buy their health insurance from such exchanges. Walgreens already provides health care services that treat minor illnesses and offer seasonal flu shots and vaccinations through more than 350 in-store 'take care clinics.'