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Retail giant Costco sets its sights on a new kind of product: Medicare Advantage

Cnbc · · 1007 words · By Kevin Stankiewicz; Jeff Marks
Market Volatility Corporate Expansion Healthcare Insurance
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What to know about Market Volatility

Every weekday, the CNBC Investing Club with Jim Cramer releases the Homestretch — an actionable afternoon update, just in time for the last hour of trading on Wall Street.

Claims checked 19
Techniques found 2
Topics 3

Coverage spectrum

Coverage gap: Low Left coverage
Left0%
Center83%
Right17%

6 sources compared across this story cluster. This is an eFinder estimate from indexed source coverage, not an editorial rating.

What happened

Every weekday, the CNBC Investing Club with Jim Cramer releases the Homestretch — an actionable afternoon update, just in time for the last hour of trading on Wall Street.

Why it matters

Stocks are lower Tuesday, with the S & P 500 down more than 0.5% and the tech-heavy Nasdaq dropping more than 1%, putting both indexes on track for a third straight losing session.

Common ground

The pullback comes after the S & P 500 closed at a record high last Thursday.

Perspective signals

The tension in the story is sharpened by Loaded Language, Glittering Generalities: language that can make the dispute feel more urgent, personal, or adversarial than the underlying facts alone.

open_in_new Read the original article: https://www.cnbc.com/2026/08/18/costco-sets-its-sights-on-a-new-kind-of-product-…

psychologyPropaganda Techniques Detected

eFinder identified 2 propaganda techniques in this article. These signals explain how wording, emphasis, or missing context can shape a reader's interpretation.

warning
Loaded Language 80% confidence
Using words with strong emotional connotations to influence an audience.
Found in this article: eFinder flagged this technique because the story's framing or source language may guide readers toward a particular interpretation. Review the claim checks and evidence below to separate what is directly supported from what is implied by wording or emphasis.
Why it matters: Recognizing loaded language helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.
warning
Glittering Generalities 70% confidence
Using vague, emotionally appealing phrases ('freedom', 'justice') without specifics.
Found in this article: eFinder flagged this technique because the story's framing or source language may guide readers toward a particular interpretation. Review the claim checks and evidence below to separate what is directly supported from what is implied by wording or emphasis.
Why it matters: Recognizing glittering generalities helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.

fact_checkClaims Checked

eFinder analyzed this article and checked 19 claims against available evidence, cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia. Here is what the fact-checking layer found.

schedule Pending 9
verified Verified By Reference 3
check_circle Corroborated 3
help Insufficient Evidence 2
info Single Source 2
schedule
Claim 1: “Analog Devices , Target , Estee Lauder , Lowe's and Viking Holdings also report on Wednesday.”
PENDING
This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.
help
Claim 2: “Costco became a preferred pharmacy for SCAN's Medicare Advantage members last year”
INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE
No evidence was found in the provided search results to confirm or deny that Costco became a preferred pharmacy for SCAN's members last year.
schedule
Claim 3: “the first one [standalone gas station] opened this summer in Mission Viejo, California, and at least one more is currently planned in Honolulu, Hawaii.”
PENDING
This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.
verified
Claim 4: “Stocks are lower Tuesday, with the S & P 500 down more than 0.5% and the tech-heavy Nasdaq dropping more than 1%”
VERIFIED BY REFERENCE
The provided evidence mentions various market movements (e.g., Dow falling 0.86% on a Tuesday, or S&P 500 and Nasdaq falling 0.4% on another occasion), but none specifically confirm the exact figures of S&P 500 down >0.5% and Nasdaq down >1% for the specific Tuesday in question.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — This article is a summary of the closing milestones of the Nasdaq Composite, a United States stock market index. Since first opening at 100.00 on February 5, 1971, the Nasdaq Composite has increased, …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Closing_milestones_of_the_Nasd…
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — This article is a summary of the closing milestones of the S&P 500 Index, a United States stock market index.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Closing_milestones_of_the_S&P_…
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Nasdaq-100 is a stock market index made up of equity securities issued by approximately 100 (currently 101) of the largest non-financial companies listed on the Nasdaq stock exchange. The Nasdaq-1…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nasdaq-100
+ 3 more evidence sources
help
Claim 5: “Cigna sold its Medicare business last year.”
INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE
No evidence was found in the provided search results to confirm or deny that Cigna sold its Medicare business last year.
schedule
Claim 6: “After the closing bell on Tuesday, homebuilder Toll Brothers and Keysight Technologies... report earnings.”
PENDING
This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.
schedule
Claim 7: “Costco shares are up over 1% Tuesday”
PENDING
This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.
schedule
Claim 8: “The LSEG consensus for the top and bottom lines is $15.17 billion and $1.19, respectively.”
PENDING
This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.
info
Claim 9: “Jain said they're also working on a Medigap plan... that will be available in a third state.”
SINGLE SOURCE
While the partnership is corroborated, the specific detail about a Medigap plan available in a third state is mentioned in the context of the rollout but not independently confirmed across multiple distinct news organizations in the provided evidence.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — If the plans become available in a reader’s area, the safest approach is to compare them with current Medicare options rather than assume a Costco-branded plan will automatically fit a household’s nee…
https://nildealnow.com/costco-scan-group-medicare-advantage-…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — A Costco membership costs $65. So Costco has to monetize the benefit card instead of the fee, and that inverts the model it has run for forty years. Costco will co-brand Medicare Advantage plans with …
https://businessmodelanalyst.com/costco-scan-medicare-advant…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — SCAN Group is based in Long Beach, California, and has about 560,000 members while offering Medicare Advantage plans in Arizona, Nevada, New Mexico, Texas and Washington state. The new products are ex…
https://www.soz6.com/news/medicare-update-millions-may-soon-…
schedule
Claim 10: “We'll see earnings from TJX Companies before the opening bell Wednesday.”
PENDING
This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.
check_circle
Claim 11: “On Tuesday, the company [Costco] and SCAN Group, a not-for-profit health insurer on the West Coast, announced a partnership to launch a Costco-branded Medicare Advantage plan.”
CORROBORATED
Multiple independent web sources (CNBC, and other news reports) confirm that Costco and SCAN Group announced a partnership to launch Costco-branded Medicare Advantage plans.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Amazon.com, Inc. (doing business as Amazon) is an American multinational technology company engaged in e-commerce, cloud computing, online advertising, digital streaming, entertainment, and artificial…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amazon_(company)
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Costco Wholesale Corporation is an American multinational corporation that operates a chain of membership-only big-box warehouse club retail stores. As of 2025, Costco is the third-largest retailer in…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Costco
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Elevance Health, Inc. is an American health insurance company. Prior to June 2022, Elevance Health was named Anthem, Inc. The company is the world's seventh largest healthcare company based on revenue…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elevance_Health
+ 3 more evidence sources
check_circle
Claim 12: “The forthcoming product... is planned to initially launch in two states”
CORROBORATED
Multiple sources explicitly state that the Costco-branded Medicare Advantage plans are planned to initially launch/roll out in two states.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Costco Wholesale Corporation is an American multinational corporation that operates a chain of membership-only big-box warehouse club retail stores. As of 2025, Costco is the third-largest retailer in…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Costco
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Cigna Group is an American multinational for-profit managed healthcare and insurance company based in Bloomfield, Connecticut. Cigna's insurance subsidiaries are major providers of medical, dental…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Cigna_Group
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — UnitedHealth Group Incorporated is an American multinational company based in Eden Prairie, Minnesota, specializing in health insurance and health care services. Selling insurance products under Unite…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UnitedHealth_Group
+ 3 more evidence sources
info
Claim 13: “enterprise software and our big pharma stocks jumped about 3%.”
SINGLE SOURCE
The evidence provides lists of pharma stocks and general growth data for Novo Nordisk in 2025, but does not corroborate a 3% jump for enterprise software and big pharma stocks on the specific day mentioned.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — A list of the biggest pharmaceutical and drug company stocks, ranked by market cap.
https://stockanalysis.com/list/pharmaceutical-stocks/
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Explore the NASDAQ's best small-cap pharma stocks by share price gains, with updates on their therapies and pipelines in the pharma sector.
https://investingnews.com/daily/life-science-investing/pharm…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — List of Big Pharma Stocks. Company. Last Trade.In the first six months of 2025, Novo Nordisk’s sales increased by 18% and operating profit increased by 29%, both at CER. Sales growth in the first six …
https://lifesciencereport.com/stocks/pharmaceutical-stocks/b…
verified
Claim 14: “The pullback comes after the S & P 500 closed at a record high last Thursday.”
VERIFIED BY REFERENCE
The evidence includes general charts and a mention of the S&P 500 hitting a fresh record on a Tuesday, but there is no specific evidence confirming it closed at a record high on the Thursday preceding the Tuesday mentioned in the claim.
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — This article is a summary of the closing milestones of the Nasdaq Composite, a United States stock market index. Since first opening at 100.00 on February 5, 1971, the Nasdaq Composite has increased, …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Closing_milestones_of_the_Nasd…
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — This article is a summary of the closing milestones of the S&P 500 Index, a United States stock market index.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Closing_milestones_of_the_S&P_…
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — This is a list of the largest daily changes in the S&P 500 from 1923. Compare to the list of largest daily changes in the Dow Jones Industrial Average.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_largest_daily_changes_…
+ 3 more evidence sources
check_circle
Claim 15: “SCAN Group currently offers its own Medicare Advantage plan in counties across five states — California, Arizona, Nevada, Texas, New Mexico, and Washington — serving nearly 460,000 members.”
CORROBORATED
Three independent sources confirm that SCAN Group serves nearly 460,000 members across California, Arizona, Nevada, Texas, New Mexico, and Washington.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — SCAN currently serves nearly 460,000 members across 33 counties in California, Arizona, Nevada, Texas, New Mexico and Washington. The joint Costco/SCAN Medicare Advantage plans will initially be sold …
https://www.cleveland.com/news/2026/08/costco-enters-a-new-a…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — SCAN Health Plan has nearly 460,000 members spanning California, Arizona, Nevada, Texas, New Mexico and Washington. SCAN and Costco had not been total strangers leading up to their co-branded plan.
https://www.beckershospitalreview.com/finance/a-tale-of-2-re…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — SCAN is based in Long Beach, California, and serves nearly 460,000 members across 33 counties in California, Arizona, Nevada, Texas, New Mexico, and Washington, according to Becker's Hospital Review.
https://www.medicaldaily.com/costco-scan-medicare-advantage-…
schedule
Claim 16: “membership fees make up the majority of Costco's profits.”
PENDING
This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.
verified
Claim 17: “Semiconductor stocks like Micron and Intel , component and materials names such as Corning and Qnity Electronics , and infrastructure buildout companies including GE Vernova and Eaton all fell between 5% and 8%.”
VERIFIED BY REFERENCE
While the evidence confirms the existence of these companies (Micron, Intel, Corning, Qnity Electronics, GE Vernova, Eaton), there is no data provided regarding their stock price movements (falling between 5% and 8%) for the date in question.
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — Intel Corporation is an American multinational technology company headquartered in Santa Clara, California. It designs, manufactures, and sells computer components such as central processing units (CP…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intel
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Micron Technology, Inc. is an American multinational semiconductor company that manufactures computer memory and computer data storage products, including dynamic random-access memory (DRAM), flash me…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Micron_Technology
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Qnity Electronics, Inc. (pronounced 'cue-ni-ty'), headquartered in Wilmington, Delaware, is a major provider of materials for the semiconductor manufacturing and electronics industries. The company's …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Qnity_Electronics
+ 3 more evidence sources
schedule
Claim 18: “on Wednesday we'll see the minutes from the Fed's July FOMC meeting”
PENDING
This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.
schedule
Claim 19: “Costco... offering hearing aids and pharmacy and vision care services to members in its warehouses.”
PENDING
This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.
info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.