UnitedHealth and Walmart in Medicare Advantage Deal

Walmart will provide preventative services to UnitedHealth Group Medicare Advantage customers under a 10-year agreement the companies announced on Wednesday.

The data tools and analytics of Optum, a UnitedHealth Group subsidiary, will help Walmart Health clinicians provide valuable assistance to Medicare recipients, the companies say. The initiative will begin in January at 15 Walmart Health locations in Florida and Georgia before expanding to other locations, with partners predicting it will eventually serve hundreds of thousands of patients. The companies will also be promoting a joint Medicare Advantage plan in Georgia, and Walmart Health Virtual Care will become in-network for select UnitedHealthcare commercial members in January.

“The UnitedHealth Group and Walmart share a deep commitment to high-quality, affordable primary care services that meet all of the medical needs of patients in a way that’s convenient for them and improve health outcomes,” UnitedHealth Group CEO Andrew Whitty said in a press release. .

The growing Medicare Advantage market and competition between insurers is driving these partnerships. Elevance Health, formerly known as Anthem, signed an agreement with grocery store chain Kroger last year, while Walmart previously made alliances with Humana and Clover Health.

In 2019, the retail giant launched Walmart Health, which offers primary and emergency care, labs, diagnostics, mental health, dental, optometry and hearing services at 27 physical locations and through a virtual platform.