The man behind the $4 prescription drug program. This initiative was most cited by those we polled for the "single innovation of largest impact." Hits our three criteria--quality improvement, cost savings, and access--more explicitly than anything else in this list. Simon joined Wal-Mart in March 2006 as head of the specialty division, which included Wal-Mart's pharmacies. His colleague, Linda Dillman, head of benefits for Wal-Mart, had in place a $3 drug benefit to incent workers to take their medications. Simon saw an opportunity to commercialize the concept for shoppers, many of who are uninsured. He launched it six months later. Since Sept. 2006, the company says Americans have saved more than $1 billion dollars filling prescriptions at Wal-Mart pharmacies. Now has 1,000 generics offered at $4 and last year began pilots of 300 drugs, offered in 90-day quantities, for $10. CVS and Target now have similar programs. Wal-Mart now competes with PBMs by offering a similar program to employers. 

Simon speaking to NPR in 2006:

"We hear stories all the time from our customers, stories about moms who are faced with difficult decisions about how they may have to forego groceries, in some cases, to buy antibiotics for a child who is sick. And we can do something about that, and today we started to."