Walmart partners with Kindbody on fertility benefits

Photo: Jose Luis Pelaez Inc/Getty Images

Retail giant Walmart, which is increasingly muscling its way into the healthcare space, is partnering with Kindbody as the fertility provider for its new Center of Excellence. Kindbody is a family-building benefits provider for employers.

Associates will have access to Kindbody's network of facilities across the U.S., including a new clinic and in vitro fertilization lab in Rogers, Arkansas, that will provide virtual, at-home and in-clinic care. The new facility is expected to open later this year.

Kim Lupo, senior vice president, Walmart Global Total Rewards, said in a statement that she's heard from Walmart associates "that improved access to fertility, surrogacy and adoption support is a priority for them and their families. Through Kindbody, Walmart associates in every corner of the country will have access to a variety of services to aid in their family-planning journey."

WHAT'S THE IMPACT?

Through the new Center of Excellence (COE), Walmart associates and their dependents who are enrolled in a self-insured Walmart medical plan will be able to receive fertility care from Kindbody's team – comprised of board-certified reproductive endocrinologists and senior embryologists – at one of Kindbody's Signature Clinics.

Services include fertility assessments and education, fertility preservation, genetic testing, in vitro fertilization and intrauterine insemination.

Kindbody will also be available to help eligible associates access Walmart's surrogacy and adoption benefits. These benefits include financial support of up to a lifetime maximum of $20,000 for eligible surrogacy and adoption expenses.

Benefits will continue to include enhanced maternity and parental leave for qualified full-time hourly and salaried associates, which allows birth moms to receive up to 16 weeks of paid time off. New parents, including adoptive and foster parents, also receive six weeks paid parental leave to bond with a new child.

Walmart said the center will build on its existing COE model, which provides benefit support and coverage for certain heart, spine and joint surgeries and cancer treatments, in partnership with providers and facilities across the U.S. 

The company said it chooses Centers of Excellence through a selective process requiring healthcare providers "to demonstrate an ability to provide excellent care, a dedication to addressing the root cause of a patient's condition and an outstanding patient experience," and other criteria.

THE LARGER TREND

Also this month, Walmart announced it would be teaming up with UnitedHealth Group as well as UHG subsidiary Optum on a "wide-ranging" 10-year collaboration intended to leverage their combined expertise to improve health outcomes and the patient experience.

The collaboration will start in 2023 with 15 Walmart Health locations in Florida and Georgia and will expand into new geographies over time. Ultimately, the companies expect to serve hundreds of thousands of seniors and Medicare beneficiaries in value-based arrangements through multiple Medicare Advantage plans.

Maternity care has been in the current administration's crosshairs, with the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services announcing a Maternity Care Action Plan this year, saying it will take a more holistic and coordinated approach to such care.

On top of that, CMS approved new actions in Connecticut, Kansas and Massachusetts to extend Medicaid and Children's Health Insurance Program coverage for 12 months after pregnancy. The agency estimates this will result in up to 19,000 people annually in these states – including 4,000 in Connecticut, 7,000 in Kansas, and 8,000 in Massachusetts – having access to Medicaid or CHIP coverage for a full year after pregnancy.

Last year, President Biden issued the first-ever presidential proclamation marking Black Maternal Health Week. It is coupled with a set of initial actions to address the Black maternal health crisis. Vice President Kamala Harris hosted the first-ever White House Day of Action on maternal health.

In addition, the Department of Health and Human Services recently issued a new final rule for Title X, the nation's family planning program, to ensure access to affordable family planning services.

Twitter: @JELagasse
Email the writer: jeff.lagasse@himssmedia.com