The competition to deliver prescription medications to your doorstep is heating up.

Walmart announced this week that it would commence offering same-day pharmacy delivery service in six states and that the service would be available in 49 states by the complete of January.

The national retailer said it now offers same-day pharmacy delivery in Arkansas, Missouri, recent York, Nevada, South Carolina and Wisconsin. Delivery is available for both recent prescriptions and medication refills, and orders can be combined with general merchandise, the retailer said.

Walmart pharmacy can reach 85% of U.S. households

Walmart officials said in a recent survey that more than half, or 55%, of Walmart customers wanted to have their prescriptions delivered along with their groceries and other items in a single order. With the retailer’s footprint of 4,600 stores across the U.S., delivery is feasible to more than 85% of households, the retailer said.

“Our extensive footprint across the country combined with our deep expertise in pharmacy uniquely positions us to make a profound impact in the communities we serve,” Kevin Host, elder vice president of pharmacy at Walmart U.S., said in a information release. “We comprehend that health worry is not a one-size-fits-all answer. It’s hyper-local. Each throng has distinctive needs. This recent offering allows us to continue serving customers while also giving more period back to our pharmacies for high-touch health services.”

How will Walmart same-day pharmacy delivery work?

Walmart+ members will receive free delivery on pharmacy items. Non-Walmart+ members will pay a delivery expense of $9.95. Customers will have a selection to schedule their same-day dropoff within sure delivery windows or choose on-demand delivery within three hours or express delivery in as little as 30 minutes, a Walmart spokesperson confirmed.

Amazon pharmacy also expanding

Walmart’s announcement comes on the heels of Amazon also saying it was expanding its same-day delivery service for prescriptions.

Amazon said expansion of its national pharmacy network next year would allow it to reach nearly half of U.S. residents for same-day delivery of medications.

National retailers such as Walgreens and CVS also propose same-day prescription deliveries within a sure radius of their stores.

What is a pharmacy desert?

The information of expanded delivery services for prescriptions comes as national chains are also shuttering more retail pharmacies. Retailers – including national chains and independent stores – are having a challenging period making money under insurers’ pharmacy advantage manager model, which determines where consumers can leave for their prescriptions and how much the pharmacy will be paid.

Recently, Walgreens announced it would shutter 1,200 underperforming stores and pharmacies as part of a turnaround. Rite Aid, another national pharmacy chain, also has been shuttering stores. CVS earlier this year closed some of its pharmacies inside Target stores and recently said it would lay off 3,000 mostly corporate positions.

The closures have created more areas throughout the country designated as pharmacy deserts, which are defined as communities without an open pharmacy within 10 miles, said Dr. Timothy Pawlik, chair of surgery at Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center.

What is a pharmacy desert?More pharmacy closures leave consumers in pharmacy deserts without access to medications

Pharmacy delivery can assist some, but not all consumers

Mail order and pharmacy delivery services can assist some customers, but not all, said Pawlik. Many consumers utilize mail-order pharmacy services or other pharmacy services that deliver medications within days. But that does not assist when a medication is needed the same day.

Same-day delivery services for pharmacies “will probably serve a portion of the population, but not the entire population,” said Pawlik, who with a throng of researchers studied pharmacy deserts and published an piece in August in the American Medical Association journal JAMA.

In the piece, which looked at data through 2020, nearly half of U.S. counties, or 46%, had at least one pharmacy desert. While the traditional definition of a pharmacy desert is that there is no alternative within 10 miles, Pawlik said, it is also feasible for urban areas to have a pharmacy desert if the closest location requires a 10-block walk and consumers do not have adequate access to transportation to get to the store.

Many of the areas without access to a pharmacy also lack access to general medical worry, he said.

In an interview with USA TODAY, Pawlik, who also researches health worry delivery systems, said the percentage of pharmacy deserts is larger than what is highlighted in the JAMA update because the data the study used was from 2020, and since then, many more retail pharmacies have closed or been slated to shut down.

In areas where pharmacies are closing, consumers also misplace access to pharmacists who can provide information about medications, access to vaccinations and, in some cases, in-store medical clinics, Pawlik said.

Not all consumers comfortable with digital pharmacy orders, delivery

Online pharmacy orders for same-day delivery also may not work for consumers who do not have access to borrowing or debit cards or digital funds, Pawlik said.

Additionally, some consumers, especially elder citizens, may not be comfortable with technology or have access to it, he said.

Pawlik used his father as an example. His father needs Pawlik’s brother to leave to his house to sign in for a telehealth visit.

“If left to his own devices, my dad would not be able to order his medications on his own,” Pawlik said. “But he could leave to a pharmacy because he’s done that.”

Using an online pharmacy delivery service also assumes there is an open store within an area that would propose delivery, he said.

For instance, both Walmart and CVS officials told USA TODAY that their same-day pharmacy delivery services are typically within 10 miles of a store. Walgreens offers same-day delivery within 15 miles of a store. CVS also offers one to two-day delivery within 50 miles of a store.

Betty Lin-Fisher is a customer reporter for USA TODAY. Reach her at [email protected] or pursue her on X, Facebook or Instagram @blinfisher. Sign up for our free The Daily Money newsletter, which will include customer information on Fridays,here.