Walmart to offer free surgeries for insured workers

As the great health care debate rages on, one of the companies most vilified for not providing adequate benefits for workers has swooped in to Minnesota to offer free major surgeries for its workers. And in another stroke of genius, the company did it in the backyard of its primary competitor -- Target. Walmart announced a partnership with Rochester-based Mayo Clinic and to offer its insured workers free heart, spine and transplant surgeries. Besides Mayo, which also has facilities in Florida and Arizona, the program, dumbed "Centers of Excellence" also includes five of the country's other top hospital and health systems, including the Cleveland Clinic, Geisinger Medical Center in Danville, Pa., Mercy Hospital Springfield in Springfield, Mo; Scott & White Memorial Hospital in Temple, Texas; and Virginia Mason Medical Center in Seattle, Wash. "We devoted extensive time developing Centers of Excellence in order to improve the quality of care our associates' receive," said Sally Welborn, senior vice president of global benefits at Walmart, said in a release. "We have identified six renowned health care systems that meet the highest quality standards for heart, spine and transplant surgery. Through these hospital systems, our associates will have no out-of-pocket expenses and a greater peace of mind knowing they are receiving exceptional care from a facility that specializes in the procedure they require. This is the first time a retailer has offered a comprehensive, nationwide program for heart, spine and transplant surgery." Walmart's statement is here. The Post-Bulletin, which got an advance copy of the release, has the story here. ________________________ Email us: DatelineMN@startribune.com Follow us on Twitter: @DatelineMN