Walmart To Pilot Program To Connect Employees With Doctors

Walmart, one of the largest companies in the world, will begin pilot testing new healthcare programs for its employees starting next year, according to a report by CNBC.

The move is part of an effort by the company to cut its healthcare costs, which is one of its biggest expenses, besides wages. The pilot program will connect employees with local doctors.

Walmart said it will test the programs in Texas, Florida and Arkansas. Walmart is the biggest private employer in the country, with 1.4 million people in its workforce.

The company is also going to test a concierge service in North Carolina and South Carolina, where employees will get help finding a provider, fixing appointments, understanding a diagnosis and with billing.

In Minnesota, Wisconsin and Colorado, Walmart is going to beef up a program in which patients can speak to a doctor through video from their homes. That service costs $4 per chat.

In addition to those services, Walmart will give employees access to health and fitness clubs for $9 every two weeks, and add a co-pay of $35 for a primary care physician visit. Those services will be available to employees around the country.

Walmart is also going to expand its education program and offer healthcare degrees to its employees to help fill vacancies at its 5,000 plus pharmacies. The retail giant signed a deal with large national insurer Anthem last year to get Medicare users to buy medicine and supplies at its stores.

Just this month, Walmart opened a place in Georgia where people can get health services for an affordable price. Those services include mental health counseling, X-rays and dental work. The company has been pushing its pharmacy options and offering low-cost drugs and prescriptions as well.