Walmart acquisitions make health benefits disappear

Economists are concerned that Walmart’s policies in the wake of its acquisition spree will exert downward pressure on health benefits throughout the e-commerce sector. (Photo: Shutterstock)

It’s not just purchasers of health coverage on the Affordable Care Act exchanges who need to worry about whether their benefits will disappear or whether the price will balloon beyond their ability to pay. New Walmart employees—at online retailers the retail giant has acquired—are watching their employer-sponsored health coverage disappear.

The New York Times reports that in a little over a year, Walmart has sunk close to $4 billion into the acquisition of e-commerce companies that collectively employ thousands of workers. And as those acquisitions came under the Walmart umbrella, many of those workers are finding that their health care coverage is no longer even remotely affordable.