Wal-Mart Stores, Inc., reported recently that the percentage of its employees who say they have no healthcare coverage declined from 9.6 percent to 7.3 percent in the last year.
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"Over the past few years, we've spent a lot of time listening to our associates and working closely with them to design a benefits package that better meets their needs," says Linda Dillman, executive vice president of benefits and risk management for Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.
The company said 50.2 percent of its employees have coverage through Wal-Mart's plan. Other sources for their healthcare coverage include:
- Spouse (22.3 percent)
- Medicare (4.3 percent)
- Parents, school, or college (4.2 percent)
- Other/previous employer (3.2 percent)
- Individual policy (2.4 percent)
- VA or military (2.3 percent)
- Medicaid (1.9 percent)
- State program other than Medicaid (1.2 percent)
In the recent open enrollment period, 1,086,881 full-time and part-time associates were eligible for health benefits, representing 79 percent of the workforce.
Dillman said that recent changes in Wal-Mart's benefit plans are a key factor in increasing enrollment rates. The company added more personalized choices, lower deductibles, pre-deductible healthcare credits, and a $4 co-pay for more than 2,000 covered generic prescriptions.