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It will be a new year come January and with it Walmart workers will have access to free heart and spine surgeries and transplants at six major medical centers around the U.S. The program announced yesterday is part of an effort by the retailer to improve medical coverage for its employees while reducing expenses for the company.
Walmart will cover workers and dependents enrolled in its medical plans and will include payouts for travel, lodging and food for both the patient and caregiver.
The health centers working with Walmart to bundle services include the Cleveland Clinic in Ohio; Geisinger Medical Center in Pennsylvania; the Mayo Clinic with facilities in Arizona, Florida and Minnesota; Mercy Hospital Springfield in Missouri; Scott & White Memorial Hospital in Texas and Virginia Mason Medical Center in Washington.
"We devoted extensive time developing Centers of Excellence in order to improve the quality of care our associates' receive," said Sally Welborn, senior vice president of global benefits at Walmart, in a statement. "We have identified six renowned health care systems that meet the highest quality standards for heart, spine and transplant surgery. Through these hospital systems, our associates will have no out-of-pocket expenses and a greater peace of mind knowing they are receiving exceptional care from a facility that specializes in the procedure they require. This is the first time a retailer has offered a comprehensive, nationwide program for heart, spine and transplant surgery."
Walmart's deal with the various health organizations bundles services in an attempt to reduce costs while improving care for its workers. The company, which has been criticized in the past for its health coverage practices, expects savings from the initiative, but has not specified how much.
"It's a growing trend and an important new aspect of employers' ability to manage quality and improve their value proposition," Michael McMillan, executive director of market and network services at Cleveland Clinic, told Reuters. "We see more and more large employers asking about this kind of approach."
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