HARTFORD — CVS Health Corp. will cut deeper into its corporate workforce in Connecticut with dozens of additional layoffs on top of those that already began this month — a move that will likely take a further toll on employment at its Hartford health insurance business.
In a filing Friday, Rhode Island-based CVS told the state labor department that it will cut 70 additional corporate jobs by the end of this year, pushing up to nearly 600 the number of layoffs that are either in Connecticut or tied to CVS’ health insurance operations in Hartford.
In August, CVS outlined cuts of 521 positions to the state of Connecticut, but CVS said the actual count for Connecticut was 306, largely in Hartford. The higher number reflects a requirement to include employees who “reside/work remotely in other states but report to someone located in Connecticut,” CVS said.
The previously-announced layoffs affecting Connecticut — part of plans by CVS to cut 5,000 jobs nationally this year — began Oct. 21.
It wasn’t immediately clear what portion of the 70 jobs fell into the category of either residing or working remotely in other states. The new round of layoffs will begin Dec. 30.
CVS did not immediately return an email seeking comment. Hartford Mayor Luke Bronin, who also received a copy of the layoff notice filed with the state, could not immediately be reached.
In announcing the nationwide layoffs this summer, CVS Health said it is cutting expenses and shifting investments into health care delivery and technology that will drive future growth.
At that time, CVS said, “We do not expect there to be any impact to our customer-facing colleagues in our stores, pharmacies, clinics or customer services centers. We’re committed to supporting impacted colleagues, and they will receive severance pay and benefits, including access to outplacement services.”
When CVS acquired Aetna in 2018, its agreement with Connecticut insurance regulators included a promise to keep employment at Aetna and its subsidiaries at 5,300 for at least four years. The four years ended in 2022.
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CVS also agreed to keep Aetna’s headquarters in Hartford for a decade and create a center of excellence for CVS’ insurance business
In 2020, CVS confirmed that it laid off some Aetna workers, saying it was cutting a “very small percentage” of workers in Hartford. CVS also would not say which areas of Aetna were affected by the layoffs, noting they were in “all part of the Aetna business.”
In Connecticut, CVS’ workforce also includes a chain of more than 170 pharmacies. A current job count for the Aetna headquarters in Hartford has not been disclosed by CVS.
CVS employs about 300,000 nationwide and the 5,000 job cuts represent about 2% of the company’s overall workforce, CVS has said.
CVS has moved into offering health care services with its in-store “MinuteClinics,” emphasizing the opportunity to offer primary health care while downplaying the traditional retail sales of its pharmacies.
In February, CVS pushed deeper into providing physician services for patients. CVS said it would pay $10.6 billion to acquire Oak Street Health, a primary care provider mainly for adults covered by Medicare Advantage.
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Kenneth R. Gosselin can be reached at [email protected].