Albertsons drops 2027 spousal health coverage for workers who have their own job
Albertsons is cutting healthcare plans for spouses next year.
The short version
- Spouses with their own job coverage lose medical benefits.
- Rising healthcare costs are driving the grocery chain changes.
- Employees also face higher weekly paycheck contributions and deductibles.
Check your employee handbook if you or someone in your family works for Albertsons. Albertsons, the massive grocery store chain, just announced it is cutting medical insurance plans for employees' spouses and domestic partners who have jobs that provide their own coverage.
According to Business Insider, the grocery giant detailed the change in an open enrollment guide posted to its website. Albertsons said it expects its healthcare costs to increase 9.5% next year due to inflation, higher prescription drug costs, provider consolidation, and shortages in the healthcare workforce.
"We are making changes to our benefits in 2027 to reduce the projected cost increase while still maintaining a quality benefits program that meets the needs of our associates at a cost sustainable for the company going forward," the company said in the guide.
The new rule takes effect next year. Other changes hitting workers this year include higher weekly paycheck contributions, the elimination of two network plans, and higher deductibles and out-of-pocket maximums for some remaining plans. Other large companies including Disney, Starbucks, and Deloitte are also introducing cost-saving changes to their benefits packages for 2027, with Disney also dropping coverage for partners and spouses who can get insurance from their own jobs.
For a family relying on a spouse's health plan through a retail job, these corporate cutbacks mean checking other options before open enrollment closes.
