NationsBenefits launched a retail technology integration with Giant Eagle, enabling eligible health-plan members to pay for fresh produce, pantry staples and over-the-counter wellness items at more than 200 Giant Eagle supermarkets using their health benefits.
Through NationsBenefits’ real-time Basket Adjudication Service and the NationsBenefits Benefits Mastercard Flex Card, item-level eligibility is validated at checkout in milliseconds. The collaboration connects food as medicine benefits to where families shop, while giving health plans privacy-safe insights to refine program design and member outreach.
Giant Eagle operates across western Pennsylvania, north-central Ohio, northern West Virginia, Maryland and Indiana. Regional health indicators underscore the need for improved food access. State food-insecurity rates sit in the low- to mid-teens — 13.2 percent in Pennsylvania and 15.3 percent in Ohio in 2023. Adult diabetes prevalence in parts of the region ranges from approximately 13 percent in Ohio to 16.2 percent in West Virginia. Nationally, 18.8 million people live in low-income, low-access census tracts.
Real-Time validation at checkout
“Food is central to community health,” said Michael Parker, co-CEO of NationsBenefits.
“By integrating our fintech and real-time adjudication with Giant Eagle’s checkout, we meet members at the moment of decision, making it straightforward to use their benefits for healthier, culturally familiar groceries without changing how they shop. The result is fewer barriers, stronger prevention, and steadier adherence.”
With every swipe at a participating Giant Eagle register, NationsBenefits’ Basket Adjudication Service determines item-level eligibility in real time at the point of sale, covering categories such as fresh produce, whole grains, vitamins and other plan-approved items. Members receive immediate authorization when using the NationsBenefits Benefits Mastercard Flex Card, creating a seamless checkout experience.
De-identified, HIPAA-compliant ZIP-code purchase insights then enable plans to refine local programming and outreach, supporting adherence, closing care gaps and enhancing the overall member experience.
“Giant Eagle is focused on expanding access to fresh, high-quality foods in the neighborhoods we serve,” said Mike Chappell, SVP of pharmacy at Giant Eagle.
“Partnering with NationsBenefits allows eligible shoppers to use their health benefits seamlessly for the items that matter most to their families, while maintaining a frictionless, trusted checkout experience across all of our supermarkets.”
Supporting prevention and care management
The approach is consistent with recent evidence that food-related supplemental benefits are associated with higher odds of meeting preventive-care and chronic-condition management quality measures in Medicare Advantage. Embedding benefits at checkout turns an ordinary grocery run into a driver of prevention.
The Giant Eagle integration extends NationsBenefits’ growing retail network and unified benefits and payments platform, ensuring nutrition, over-the-counter and other benefits flow through the same real-time validation and transparent reporting that plans and members can rely on.
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