Key facts
- Albertsons will stop insuring employees' spouses and domestic partners who are eligible for their own employer-sponsored health coverage starting in 2027.
- The company anticipates a 9.5% increase in healthcare costs next year.
- Other changes include higher employee paycheck contributions and increased deductibles for some plans.
Albertsons is implementing changes to its employee benefits for 2027 due to rising healthcare costs. Starting next year, the company will cease offering medical insurance to employees' spouses and domestic partners if they are eligible for coverage through their own employers. Albertsons anticipates a 9.5% increase in healthcare expenses next year, driven by factors such as inflation, higher prescription drug costs, provider consolidation, and healthcare workforce shortages. In addition to removing spousal coverage, the company is also increasing employee contributions, eliminating two network plans, and raising deductibles and out-of-pocket maximums for certain plans. Other large companies, including Disney, Starbucks, and Deloitte, have also introduced similar cost-saving measures for their employee benefits.