MINNETONKA, Minn. — Kroger Co. and Safeway Inc. are participating in a new UnitedHealthcare Medicare Part D plan offering drugs for as little as $2 per prescription and promising to save members hundreds of dollars next year.

The introduction follows the debut of a plan by Walmart and Humana Inc. described as the lowest-price option available to Medicare patients.

The UnitedHealthcare plan, Pharmacy Saver, will enlist a network of over 3,000 pharmacies as well as the insurer’s mail-order service. The plan cuts members’ out-of-pocket costs on prescription drugs bought at participating pharmacies to prices even lower than their co-payments, sometimes as low as $2 for a 90-day supply.

Pharmacy Saver applies to hundreds of prescription drugs, including eight of the top 10 generic drugs most commonly used by UnitedHealthcare’s Medicare plan members. The plan applies to the company’s Part D members in 2011, including most of those who receive their prescription drug benefits with a Medicare Advantage plan from UnitedHealthcare.

“Economic pressures are putting a strain on many people’s budgets, including many seniors and other Medicare beneficiaries living on fixed incomes,” says Tom Paul, chief executive of UnitedHealthcare Medicare & Retirement. “Pharmacy Saver is another example of our promise to provide our members with affordable prescription drugs. The new program, combined with the other consumer-friendly features of our Part D and Medicare Advantage plans, will help our members get the most value for their money in 2011.”

The plan is said to maintain UnitedHealthcare’s commitment to giving members the lowest available drug prices. That price could be their co-pay, the pharmacy’s retail price or a specially negotiated rate — whichever is the best deal.

All Safeway and Kroger units, including Fred Meyer Inc., will participate in the plan.

“In developing Pharmacy Saver,” Paul says, “we worked to ensure that our members could take advantage of the cost savings regardless of whether they prefer to purchase their drugs in a retail pharmacy or through the mail.”