Retail Therapy

Health insurance is coming to a big-box discount store near you

Illustration by AK Studio for TIME

Health insurance is coming to a big-box discount store near you.

For most Americans, choosing a health care plan or home loan--unlike picking peanut butter or shampoo off a supermarket shelf--can be an overwhelming chore. But consumer-friendly Costco, known for simple one-stop shopping at deep discounts, is betting that its customers will want to buy both on their regular grocery run.

In April, Costco, in partnership with Aetna, the U.S.'s third largest health insurer, began offering individual health care policies to its customers in nine states--Connecticut, Illinois, Texas, Michigan, Virginia, Georgia, Arizona, Pennsylvania and Nevada--as well as lower co-pays for customers who use Costco pharmacies. Aetna, which says the plans are about...

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