Costco Adds Nutrisystem but Health Already a Focus

(MoneyWatch)  Costco looks to be adding the Nutrisystem program to its line up of products and services, in a move that will further boost the health business it has been quietly building.

The post-holiday season is the big time for consumers to begin diets and for weight-loss programs to launch new initiatives, and certainly Costco will benefit from the addition of another element that makes it appear innovative and concerned about its members' needs.

Centered on pharmacy operations, the health business is focused on offering customers a central location for reasonably priced products and services such as the Costco Member Prescription Program. For those who have no prescription drug insurance coverage, the program provides a discount on all branded and generic prescription medications beyond existing prices already set to satisfy the value demands of the retailer's dues paying members. It includes a preferred product list that posts the medications with the deepest discounts among a range of diabetes, cardiovascular, anxiety, dermatological, ophthalmic, antibiotic and other drugs. It even works for prenatal vitamins and Viagra.

To enhance the health-related services at its clubs, Costco provides members with an Internet pharmacy featuring online pharmacists who answer customer questions, and it offers free standard drug shipping. The site hosts a selection of health care products that far exceeds what Costco carries in its clubs, ranging from rails that help invalids with bathing to over-the-counter medications to glucose monitors to scales. And the site features a dedicated online store that helps members who use flexible spending accounts shop conveniently and get reimbursed for their purchases.

While Costco already stocks a few diet items, the Nutrisystem program will add a comprehensive weight-loss option for club members who are aging, concerned about obesity and willing to credit whoever and whatever makes the battle of the bulge seem like one they can win.