NationsBenefits and Food City Partner to Expand Flex Card Access for Rx and OTC Health Needs Across Southeastern Communities

PLANTATION, Fla.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--NationsBenefits®, the leading healthcare benefits and fintech platform, today announced a new retail network integration with Food City, a trusted supermarket chain serving communities across Tennessee, Kentucky, Virginia, Georgia, and Alabama.

Through this integration, eligible health plan members can use their NationsBenefits Mastercard® Prepaid Flex Card at all participating Food City locations to purchase approved food as medicine items, OTC health and wellness products, and other essential goods. Seamless retail acceptance is enabled through NationsBenefits’ Basket Analyzer Service (BAS), which provides real-time item-level benefit validation at checkout, eliminating manual claims and reimbursement delays while improving ease of use and access for members.

Food City serves communities across the Southeast and Appalachian regions, where access to nutritious food and healthcare resources can be challenging. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, communities in the southeastern United States experience some of the nation’s highest rates of chronic conditions such as diabetes, heart disease, and obesity, with disease prevalence often concentrated in rural and underserved ZIP code areas. These disparities are especially pronounced among Medicaid and Medicare Advantage populations, where nutrition plays a central role in preventing and managing long-term conditions.

“Food access and nutrition are foundational to improving health outcomes, particularly in communities facing higher chronic disease burden,” said Michael Parker, co-CEO at NationsBenefits. NationsBenefits. “By expanding Flex Card acceptance through BAS at Food City locations, we’re helping health plans connect healthcare to everyday shopping experiences and making it easier for members to access healthier food and essential wellness products where they already shop.”

The collaboration reflects a shared commitment to strengthening community access and supporting whole-person health through trusted retail partners. Food City’s strong local presence and longstanding focus on community engagement make it a natural partner as NationsBenefits continues to expand its national retail network.

“At Food City, we are deeply committed to serving the needs of our customers and the communities we call home,” said Mickey Blazer, Executive Vice President of Pharmacy and Fuel Operations, Food City. “Partnering with NationsBenefits allows us to further support our customers by making it easier to use their healthcare benefits on nutritious foods and essential health items, helping families make healthier choices and stretch their benefits further.”

Health plans and healthcare organizations interested in learning more about the NationsBenefits BAS technology and how it supports food as medicine strategies, member engagement, and population health initiatives can visit https://nationsbenefits.com/bas.

About NationsBenefits
NationsBenefits is the leading healthcare benefits, fintech and outcomes company at the forefront of the convergence of commerce and care. By unifying supplemental benefits, financial technology, and clinical outcome solutions into a single, seamless ecosystem, NationsBenefits transforms how health plans and members engage with the healthcare journey. The company partners with Medicare, Medicaid, and Commercial health plans to provide innovative rewards and incentives, data analytics, and care-gap closure solutions to drive growth and improve population health. Through its proprietary fintech infrastructure and integrated platform, NationsBenefits transforms traditional benefit administration into a precision tool for outcome improvement and care program adherence. By leveraging opt-in health data to drive smarter choices and expand access to essential health solutions, NationsBenefits empowers members, optimizes their experience at every touchpoint, and is dedicated to improving quality of life by making healthy outcomes more accessible. To learn more, visit NationsBenefits.com.

About Food City
Headquartered in Abingdon, Virginia, K-VA-T Food Stores, Inc. (Food City’s parent company) operates 164 retail outlets, including 120 pharmacies throughout southeast Kentucky, southwest Virginia, east Tennessee, north Georgia, and Alabama.

*The Benefits Mastercard® Prepaid Card is issued by The Bancorp Bank, N.A., Member FDIC, pursuant to license by Mastercard International Incorporated. Mastercard and the circles design are registered trademarks of Mastercard International Incorporated. Card can be used for eligible expenses wherever Mastercard is accepted. Valid only in the U.S. No cash access.