On January 11, the Orland Business Journal reported that Marcus Osborne, vice president of health and wellness payer relations for Wal-Mart, said the company wants to work with insurers to find new, low-cost health insurance options  at small companies. Small businesses traditionally have few low-cost options when it comes to providing health insurance to their workers.
Wal-Mart already offers a prescription drug program as well as Medicare plans for seniors, so a foray into the small business insurance world is not that unlikely. Using their large size and buying power, they would be able to get a better rate and offer insurance via an exchange program.
“It would allow small employers to piggyback Wal-Mart,†Osborne said. “We haven’t got it all figured out, but it’s one of the things we’re looking at.”
However on January 14, Danit Marquardt, a Wal-Mart spokeswoman, told the same paper: “Althought we are evaluating the opportunity, Walmart does not currently have plans for a private health insurance exchange.â€
SOURCE:Â Orlando Business Journal