NationsBenefits, a provider of supplemental-benefit and healthcare-fintech solutions, has announced a new retail integration with Tops Friendly Markets, enabling health plan members to utilize their Benefits Mastercard® Prepaid Card for eligible purchases at all Tops locations.
This partnership allows health plan members to immediately use their NationsBenefits Benefits Mastercard® Prepaid Card at Tops Friendly Markets, which operates 152 grocery stores across Upstate New York, northern Pennsylvania, and Vermont. Transactions for fresh produce, pantry staples, and over-the-counter wellness essentials are validated in real time by NationsBenefits’ Basket Adjudication Service (BAS).
“For more than sixty years, Tops Friendly Markets has anchored community health,” said Michael Parker, Co-CEO of NationsBenefits. “Integrating their stores into our supplemental-benefit network brings healthier, benefits-eligible foods within easy reach of families who once faced long drives or limited choices.”
Food insecurity remains a significant challenge, with nearly one in four New York adults, particularly in rural counties, lacking reliable access to nutritious food. Nationwide, nearly 19 million Americans live in low-income, low-access census tracts, often more than ten miles from the nearest supermarket, while diabetes rates can be up to 17 percent higher in rural areas than in urban centers. By integrating its Basket Adjudication Service (BAS) at every Tops checkout, NationsBenefits aims to transform routine grocery trips into Food as Medicine opportunities, allowing members to redeem supplemental benefits on culturally familiar, locally sourced items. The real-time basket-analytics engine captures eligible transactions at checkout, delivering ZIP-code-level purchase insights that enable health plans to refine benefits and launch targeted community outreach.
“Feeding our neighborhoods well has always been at the heart of Tops,” stated Ron Ferri, President of Tops Friendly Markets. “By joining the NationsBenefits retail network, we can now place affordable, nutritious options directly in front of eligible shoppers at the very moment they fill their baskets.” Tops emphasizes delivering an exceptional experience rooted in fresh, high-quality products and services, alongside innovative programs to support healthier lifestyles and simplify shopping.
Ellie Wilson, MS, RDN, FAND, manager of lifestyle and wellness for Tops, added, “Tops Friendly Markets has been ensuring access to high quality fresh foods and cutting-edge Pharmacy services to generations of customers. We strive to innovate and explore how we can best serve shoppers seeking wellness options, with a spotlight on natural, organic and gluten free items, partnerships with local produce farmers, and now, direct access to insurance benefits that empower healthy purchases.”
Peer-reviewed research indicates that medically tailored meals and broader Food as Medicine programs can reduce annual hospitalizations by 47% while managing overall healthcare costs by 16%. Leveraging this proprietary BAS technology, health plans also gain real-world, transaction-level insights that can reveal nutrition gaps by geography or chronic-condition cohort. These insights can guide ZIP-code-specific preventive initiatives, such as A1C screenings or dietitian consults, and power personalized rewards that reinforce healthy shopping habits, aiming to improve member experience and engagement.
Through this collaboration, NationsBenefits and Tops Friendly Markets seek to transform everyday grocery visits into measurable outcomes that improve the health and wellness of individuals.
