Cost-Containment

Buying Humana would put Walmart into some less familiar lines of business, but the Medicare piece does fit with its retail and pharmacy customer base.

The lawsuit marked a bold move against the state's dominant health care system in Northern California as concerns mount nationally about consolidation among hospitals, insurers and other industry middlemen.

Employers will want to think carefully about potential ramifications of joining the Department of Labor's new self-reporting program.

Walmart and Humana have explored a wide range of options including a merger, though an outright combination isn't likely at this point, according to one source.

Communication barriers are leading to a delay or failure to complete projects, low morale , missed performance goals (25 percent) and even lost sales.

Companies that are slower to adopt digital tools and learning technologies could be at risk of losing as much as 60 percent of their workforce.