“Walmart Inc. said it will require its employees to use certain hospitals for costly spine surgeries, an effort to weed out unnecessary procedures and lower its health-care spending.
The retailer has been trying since 2013 to encourage employees to undergo the surgeries at hospital systems known for their quality by offering to pay the full cost of the procedures and travel. But not all workers took Walmart up on the offer, and the retailer continued to pay for surgery elsewhere.
Walmart decided to mandate the travel, starting in January, after finding that half of the workers who volunteered to travel ended up avoiding the high-cost surgery even though their local doctors said it was needed, said Lisa Woods, who oversees the design of the company’s health plan.
“It’s important that we ensure our associates get the best care,” Ms. Woods said in an interview.
Walmart declined to say how much it expects to save by the move. The company is self-insured, providing health benefits that cover more than one million people.”
To Curb Wasteful Health Spending, Walmart to Send Employees Traveling for Spine Surgery (2018.11.14)