Walmart Deploys AI to Overhaul Worker Health Benefits

Walmart is overhauling its health benefits for its 1.6 million U.S. workers, pushing deeper into health tech with an AI-powered insurance plan and expanded support for mental and metabolic wellness.

• AI on call: A new pilot insurance plan, the "Personalized Wellbeing Copay Plan," will launch in eight states, featuring a 24/7 AI agent that acts as a digital health concierge. The agent is designed to field benefits questions and route employees to virtual care providers.

• Mind and body: The company is also deepening its partnership with mental health platform Lyra to introduce dedicated support for neurodiversity, covering conditions like ADHD and autism. On the physical health front, its work with Twin Health will now cover employees who are pre-diabetic or have a BMI over 35.

• A personal touch: The tech-focused updates arrive alongside more fundamental changes, including an increase in paid bereavement leave from three to five days for the loss of a child or pregnancy. The change was deeply personal, as Walmart's CPO Donna Morris shared her own story of losing her infant daughter in a LinkedIn post mentioned by Employee Benefit News, pointing out that under the new policy she would have received up to 11 weeks of paid time off.

By deploying tech-forward benefits at an unprecedented scale, Walmart is not just modernizing its own offerings but is also setting a new competitive benchmark for employee wellness in the retail sector and beyond. Walmart's move is part of a larger trend, with a recent survey showing most large employers are expanding wellness benefits despite rising costs. The strategy also aligns with expert advice for 2026, which urges companies to focus on holistic well-being and new technology to support a changing workforce.