A Health Plan for Wal-Mart: Less Stinginess

Costco still outdoing the big retailer with better benefits...BD

Now, the chain is even considering weight-loss clinics in its 4,000 stores and is toying with the idea of selling health insurance, hoping to finally bring coverage within reach of most Americans.

By 2000, as Wal-Mart became the largest retailer in the country, its health insurance drew heightened scrutinyThe evidence was compelling: Wal-Mart workers routinely showed up in large numbers on state Medicaid rolls from Georgia to Washington.The company eliminated onerous fees like $150 monthly for covering a spouse and cut out separate deductibles, like an additional $1,000 for a hospital stay.

And Wal-Mart’s insurance still pales in comparison to that offered by Costco, considered the gold standard in retailing because an employee pays just a few hundred dollars a year for generous individual coverage.

A Health Plan for Wal-Mart: Less Stinginess - New York Times