((KNWA/NBC))-- The nation's largest retailer is making the move from urgent care and flu shots into primary care.

By the end of the year, primary care clinics will open in a dozen rural Walmart stores.

The retailer recently launched its newest health clinic with a marching band and fanfare. The company is looking to change the game in retail health, offering more services at a lower cost than its rivals.

"Price matters to our customers and associates. So the Walmart Care Clinic is really about establishing that new price point," says Jennifer Laperre, Walmart U.S. Sr. Dir. Health and Wellness.

At a time when more workers face higher out of pocket health costs, Walmart's clinics offer expanded in-store services like physicals and wellness check-ups, face to face with nurse practitioners for a total of $40.00. For its employees it's just $4.00.

While it is only a pilot program for now, analysts say if Walmart can make this level of pricing work, it will pose a challenge not just to other retail clinic rivals, but to other providers, doctors and hospitals.

"They are a real opportunity, they are a real threat in many different places, and if providers don't respond accordingly, they could see many of their most profitable channels disrupted," says Christopher Kerns, with the Advisory Board Company.

Walmart is facing its own higher health costs, as more of its associates are now enrolling in its health plan in the wake of the Affordable Care Act. That plays a big a part in the retailer's clinic equation.

"That's a pretty good way to handle that added enrollment and first-time health coverage consumers," says Neil Trautwein. with the National Retail Federation.

And it doesn't hurt that once they're all in the clinics, they'll likely shop in the store.

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