Walmart quietly registers insurance business in latest health-care move

A Walmart Care Clinic in Carrollton, Georgia, is ready to start seeing patients. Those who use the clinic will pay $4 if they are covered by Wal-Mart’s employee health plan or $40 if they do not.Jodi Gralnick | CNBCWalmart is making yet another move in the health-care world: It’s getting into the insurance business.The Bentonville, Arkansas-based retailer has job openings listed on its careers website for “Walmart Insurance Services LLC.” In the job posts, it says it’s looking to hire insurance agents in the Dallas area to sell Medicare insurance.”We need passionate health insurance professionals to help us build this new business from the ground up and achieve our mission,” the job post says.The news was previously reported by Med City News and Talk Business & Politics. The new insurance agency filed with the Arkansas Secretary of State in late June, according to the Med City News report. The report says a Walmart spokeswoman confirmed the company’s creation.Walmart has been contacted for comment.The big-box retailer has opened primary-care clinics, made health-care acquisitions and spoken about its broader ambitions. It previously teamed up with insurer Humana to offer a Walmart-branded Medicare prescription drug plan, but this marks the retailer’s first foray into managing health insurance itself.Last month, Walmart acquired technology from CareZone, a start-up that helps people manage multiple medications. The retailer has opened four Walmart Health clinics in the U.S., with plans to open more. The clinics offer a wide range of low-cost services, such as an annual checkup for $30 or a strep test for $20.CNBC’s Bertha Coombs contributed to this report.


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