In the “you read it here first” column:
The Walgreen pharmacy chain announced Wednesday it would shift its insurance coverage for employees to a private health exchange run by Aon Hewitt, a benefits consultant. The Associated Press reports that, rather than the company offering employees between two and four choices for medical coverage, the Aon Hewitt exchange will offer as many as 25 plans. Walgreen will give each employee a set amount each year to subsidize the cost of purchasing coverage.
Walgreen joins Sears, Darden restaurants (Olive Garden, Red Lobster), and Time Warner as large corporations using private exchanges rather than a self-insurance plan for workers. The North Carolina Chamber is considering its own exchange as an option for members, as you would know had you read Dan Way’s recent report in Carolina Journal Online.
Delaying Obamacare’s employer mandate for medical coverage may allow this private market for health coverage to flourish, making it easier for Congress to delay the law’s implementation further if not remove entire provisions of it before the most draconian regulations take effect.
