Walmart to introduce new healthcare services for workers

American multinational retail giant Walmart is planning to rollout a healthcare pilot program that will be meant for the employees. It will come with a curated list of high quality providers but offer fewer choices than under the current plan. With the help of the program, Walmart will help the employees connect with the local doctors in the areas like primary care, obstetrics and cardiology.

It is working with Nashville-based data analytics company known as Embold Health that will cul trough a vast amount of data from public and private insurance plans to come up with recommended providers that is based on effectiveness and cost-efficiency. The retail giant will be making use of that data to curate a list for employees. Adam Stavisky, the senior vice president US benefits, Walmart during a media call on October 2, 2019 said, “It’s a thoughtful approach to a goal of better health and better health care”.

The program will be covering the U.S. Walmart and Sam’s Club workers in Orlando and Tampa Florida, the Dallas-Fort Worth Texas area and Northwest Arkansas starting from January 1, 2020. A human personal healthcare assistant will also be available for workers in North and South Carolina. The goal here is to make the services be available to the 1 million Walmart and Sam’s Club workers and family members on the company’s health insurance program. The retailer is also planning to share its practices with more companies. But there is also a down side to the program that the employees will be having just a fewer doctor choices.

Walmart has said that the employees can use doctors who are not on the company’s curated list, but that will cost more. Executives from Walmart say that it is hoping to remove a meaningful chunk of unnecessary healthcare cost for the company and its employees. The employers that provide health coverage have long been frustrated by costs that rise faster than inflation and wages.

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