Walmart, which already makes a lot of money from health care through its pharmacies and retail stores, is eyeing a line of business that would sell health insurance to small employers, and the company also wants to add to its chain of in-store health care clinics, the Orlando Business Journal reported in two stories Friday.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/01/17/walmart-clinics-health-insurance_n_2498339.htmlWalmart Clinics, Health Insurance Sales Plans Show Retailer's Rising Interest In Health Care Business
by Pterist 7 Replies latest social current
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MrFreeze
Why don't we just start calling it the United States of Walmart. I think that is where we are heading.
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DesirousOfChange
I HATE WALMART.
But it's free enterprise.
Why can't anyone seem to compete?
Doc
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Justitia Themis
How charitable of Walmart to be so concerned about the struggling "small employer."
Under the ACA, small employers have the option of buying insurance on their state's exchange.
State Exchanges
The ACA seeks to preserve and even enhances the states’ traditional role in regulating health insurance through newly created state health insurance exchanges to assist individuals and small employers to obtain coverage. It was widely assumed that states would prefer to operate their exchanges for their own residents instead of having the federal government do it. Consequently, the ACA contemplates states running most of the exchanges, with the federal government stepping in only when a state is unable or unwilling to do so.
States had until mid-December 2012 to declare their preference and, contrary to initial assumptions about states wanting to maintain control, only 18 plus the District of Columbia decided to establish their own exchanges. To date, HHS has conditionally approved 17 states plus the District of Columbia to operate a state-based exchange. Of that group, only 3 would qualify as politically “Red” states (Idaho, Kentucky and Utah). HHS has yet to rule on Mississippi’s application to run its own exchange.
The remaining 32 states that passed on running their own exchanges must decide by February 15, 2013 whether to partner with the federal government or delegate all exchange responsibilities to HHS. Residents of these (predominantly Red) states will therefore be consigned to federal or federal-state hybrid exchanges. Two early applicants, Arkansas and Delaware, received conditional approval to run a state and federal partnership exchange. The hybrid approach envisions federal transitional assistance during the early years of the exchange, after which the exchange will be run exclusively by the state. In contrast, solely federal exchanges are not transitional and are expected to operate indefinitely, until a state applies to run its own exchange.
The ACA’s reliance on state-based exchanges was designed to maintain state influence over their insurance markets, as they have done under the McCarron-Ferguson Act and the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA). Wide scale rejection of state authority is thus surprising and ironic. What is immediately apparent is that with regard to state-based expectations, by yielding control of exchanges to the federal government, states punted. The result is an unexpected power shift away from the states and to the federal government.
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ÁrbolesdeArabia
Target annouced they were going to aggressivly go after Walmart, the bunghole super store. Walmart has fought against health care for it's employees since old Sammy kicked the bucket. A Walmart Health Plan should carry a $10,000 deductible. 80% of the cost of the prescriptions with a mark-up of 100%, until you hit the $8,000 mark, and than it's 75% of cost on all drugs after that. Walmart covers up to $800 for Chemotherapy and $2000 for Quad ByPass. A deal with Walmarts $300 a month health premiums, Walmart will offer a discount on all medications made in China.
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wobble
This Joke appeared on here some time ago :
"One day, in line at the company cafeteria, Joe says to Mike, "My elbow hurts like crazy. I guess I better see a doctor."
"Listen, you don't have to spend that kind of money," Mike replies. "There's a diagnostic computer down at Wal-Mart. Just give it a urine sample and the
computer will tell you what's wrong and what to do about it. It takes ten seconds and costs ten dollars... a lot cheaper than a doctor."
So Joe puts a urine sample in a small jar and takes it to Wal-Mart. He deposits ten dollars, and the computer lights up and asks for the urine sample. He pours
the sample into the slot and waits.
Ten seconds later, the computer ejects a printout:
"You have tennis elbow. Soak your arm in warm water and avoid heavy activity. It will improve in two weeks. Thank you for shopping at Wal-Mart."
That evening while thinking how amazing this new technology was, Joe began wondering if the computer could be fooled. He mixed some tap water, a stool sample from his dog, urine samples from his wife and daughter, and a sperm
sample for good measure. Joe hurried back to Wal-Mart, eager to check the results.
He deposited ten dollars, poured in his concoction, and awaited the results. The computer then prints the following:
1. Your tap water is too hard. Get a water softener. (Aisle 9)
2. Your dog has ringworm. Bathe him with anti-fungal shampoo. (Aisle 7)
3. Your daughter has a cocaine habit. Get her into rehab.
4. Your wife is pregnant; twins. They aren't yours. Get a lawyer.
5. If you don't stop playing with yourself, your elbow will never get better.
Thank you for shopping at Wal-Mart" -
ÁrbolesdeArabia
That's good, Walmart outsmarted that bloke!
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Pterist
Thanks for all the comments, for those of us part of the 98% in USA and without any basic health insurance, any advise and information is welcomed.
Shalom