Walmart Dives Deeper Into Medicare Waters With Brokerage, Clover Plan
Through its longstanding Medicare Part D partnership with Humana Inc., Walmart has always had its toe in the insurance market. But two moves unveiled this month indicate the retail giant is digging deeper into the health care space: (1) the launch of its own Medicare insurance brokerage, and (2) a new co-branded Medicare Advantage offering with tech-focused insurer Clover Health, which is planning to go public (see brief, p. 8).
For the 2021 plan year, San Francisco-based Clover Health on Oct. 1 introduced two new PPO plans: LiveHealthy: Clover Powered, Walmart Enhanced, and LiveHealthy LI: Clover Powered, Walmart Enhanced. The options will be available to about 500,000 Medicare-eligible beneficiaries in eight Georgia counties. The venture-backed firm in August said it plans to triple its geographic footprint, increasing its MA service area to 108 counties in eight states (RMA 9/3/20, p. 1). Clover currently services 57,000 MA enrollees in 34 counties across seven states.