Walmart plans to expand health benefits for employees, including no-cost access to certain GLP-1 medications for Type 2 diabetes beginning in 2027. The company’s announcement also covers more than 250 prescription drugs, according to the supplied report.
The changes were outlined in an Oct. 13 employee letter from Chief People Officer Donna Morris. Under most of Walmart’s medical plans, eligible workers will receive expanded prescription coverage that includes certain insulin products and inhalers. The source does not identify the specific medications or provide details about eligibility criteria beyond describing employees as eligible.
The expansion comes as employers and workers contend with rising health care costs. Walmart is also increasing the premium for its starting health insurance plan. The reported increase is $1.50 per biweekly pay period, bringing the premium to $39.80. The figure was attributed to Reuters, which cited Walmart’s website.
Walmart is adding specialized care options through its Centers of Excellence program. Employees being evaluated for, or diagnosed with, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson’s disease or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis will be able to access no-cost evaluations and treatment reviews with specialists at Mayo Clinic or Cleveland Clinic, under most medical plans, the report said.
The company is also introducing up to 12 weeks of dedicated paid leave for employees whose children are receiving care in a neonatal intensive care unit. The benefit is scheduled to take effect Nov. 17 and may be combined with existing maternity, parental and other paid-leave benefits.
Other benefits described in the announcement are continuing. Walmart employees retain access to 20 no-cost mental health therapy sessions each year, as well as up to $20,000 in financial assistance for fertility treatments, adoption or surrogacy.
Walmart employs approximately 1.6 million people in the United States, according to the source. The changes are being announced during the company’s annual benefits enrollment period, which runs through Nov. 6. The report does not specify when every part of the broader prescription benefit expansion will begin; it gives 2027 as the start date for the covered GLP-1 medications and Nov. 17 for the neonatal intensive care leave benefit.
