Marathon Pundit: Wal-Mart partners with Caterpillar for cheap prescription drugs

The Chicago Tribune is reporting that Wal-Mart is partnering with Caterpillar to offer lower priced prescription drugs.

The corporations are among Illinois' largest private employers. Still, agenda-driven Chicago politicians are trying to keep Wal-Mart from expanding in Chicago. The retail king has just one Chicago outlet.

Wal-Mart Stores Inc., the world's largest retailer, is aiming its economic might at the health-care industry with a program that lowers prescription drug prices for employers. A pilot program with Caterpillar Inc. to streamline the way drugs are purchased has shown enough promise that Wal-Mart is in talks with several other firms to do the same, the companies said Friday.

"We hope we will drive down costs for the entire health-care industry," Michael Struhs, director of business development at Wal-Mart, said during a Webcast hosted by the Pharmacy Benefits Management Institute. "That is what we do. We operate efficiently and that allows us to lower costs, and those savings are passed on to our customers."

The discount chain has already shaken up the retailing landscape in recent years, rising to become the biggest seller of apparel, groceries and toys. But it is hungry for more growth and sees a chance to bring its extraordinary size and clout to bear on rising health-care costs.