Walmart has been buying health care for its workers directly from providers in six different regions -- bypassing insurers who usually negotiate with doctors and hospitals. The idea has been to squeeze out middlemen and drive down costs in the same way that the retail giant’s tough bargaining has brought down prices for shoppers.
Walmart has been testing its new plans, known as accountable-care organizations, or ACOs, for two years. ACOs, which can be set up by employers on their own or with an insurer’s help, limit consumers to a smaller group of care providers.
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