Dive Brief:
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Sam’s Club, a division of Wal-Mart Stores Inc., said Thursday that it will be offering small-business health insurance plans via a private health insurance exchange through Aetna.
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Some time in October, “The Aetna Marketplace for Sam’s Club” will be available in 18 states to Sam’s Club small-business members, their employees, and their employees’ families.
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Public small-business health exchanges through the Small Business Health Options Program (SHOP) of the Affordable Care Act will be available next month, and will offer subsidies and tax credits not available through the Sam’s Club exchanges.
Dive Insight:
This initiative is part of a wider effort by Wal-Mart Stores to offer services that are otherwise difficult to obtain for many lower and middle-income consumers. Businesses and insurance companies are increasingly turning to health-insurance exchanges as a way to pool risk and be able to offer better benefits at the best prices.
Still, the timing is a little awkward considering the Affordable Care Act’s small-business initiative will finally come online in November. The initiative will be able to offer more tax credits and subsidies for small businesses providing health insurance than Sam’s Club will.
