Sanity? Legislating this is sanity?
> -----Original Message----- > From: Dana [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] > Sent: Thursday, January 12, 2006 11:35 PM > To: CF-Community > Subject: [signs of sanity] MD no longer subsidizing Walmart > > State Mandate for Wal-Mart on Health Care > > Sign In to E-Mail This > Printer-Friendly > Single-Page > Reprints > Save Article > By MICHAEL BARBARO > Published: January 13, 2006 > ANNAPOLIS, Md., Jan. 12 - The Maryland legislature passed a > law Thursday that would require Wal-Mart Stores to increase > spending on employee health insurance. It responded to > growing criticism that Wal-Mart, the nation's largest private > employer, has skimped on benefits and shifted health costs to > state governments. > > The legislature's move, which overrode a veto by Gov. Robert L. > Ehrlich, came after a furious lobbying battle by Wal-Mart and > by labor and liberal groups, and is likely to encourage > lawmakers in dozens of other states who are considering > similar legislation aimed at Wal-Mart. > > Many state legislatures have looked to Maryland as a test > case, as they face fast-rising Medicaid costs, and Wal-Mart's > critics say that too many of its employees have been forced > to turn to Medicaid. > > Under the Maryland law, employers with 10,000 or more workers > in the state must spend at least 8 percent of their payrolls > on health insurance, or else pay the difference into a state > Medicaid fund. > > A Wal-Mart spokeswoman said the company was "weighing its options," > including a lawsuit to challenge the law because it is close > to that 8 percent threshold already. > > It is unclear how much the new law will cost Wal-Mart in > Maryland - or around the country, if similar laws are > adopted, because Wal-Mart has not publicly divulged what it > spends on health care. > > But it was concerned enough about the bill to hire four firms > to lobby the legislature intensely over the last two months, > and contributed at least $4,000 to the re-election campaign > of Governor Ehrlich. > > A spokeswoman for Wal-Mart, Mia Masten, said that "everyone > should have access to affordable health insurance, but this > legislation does nothing to accomplish this goal." > > "This is about partisan politics," she said, "and this is > poor public policy driven by special-interest groups." > > There are four employers in Maryland with more than 10,000 > workers - among them, Johns Hopkins University, the grocery > chain Giant Food and the military contractor Northrop > Grumman, but only Wal-Mart falls below the 8 percent > threshold on health care spending. > > A Democratic lawmaker who sponsored the legislation, State > Senator Gloria G. Lawlah , maintained: "This is not a > Wal-Mart bill, it's a Medicaid bill." This bill says to the > conglomerates, 'Don't dump the employees that you refuse to > insure into our Medicaid systems.' " > > Opponents of the law said that it would open the door for > broader state regulation of health care spending by private > companies and would send the message that Maryland is antibusiness. > > "The message is, 'Don't come here,' " said Senator E. J. > Pipkin, a Republican. "This is an anti-jobs bill." > > Several lawmakers said that in the end, the law would require > Wal-Mart to spend only slightly more than it does now on > health insurance. But with Wal-Mart refusing to disclose what > it pays for health costs, it was unclear how much more it > would be required to pay. > > This is the second time that the Maryland legislature, which > is dominated by Democrats, has passed the Wal-Mart bill. > Governor Ehrlich vetoed it late last year, inviting a senior > Wal-Mart executive to sit by his side as he did so. > > Indeed, the bill is shaping up as an issue in the fall > campaign, with Republicans and their business allies lining > up against it, and Democrats and their labor union supporters > backing it. Wal-Mart has 53 stores and employs about 17,000 > people in Maryland. > > Debate was particularly emotional among representatives from > Maryland's Eastern Shore, where Wal-Mart recently announced > plans to build a distribution center that would employ up to 1,000. > > Wal-Mart executives have strongly suggested that they might > build the center elsewhere if lawmakers passed the health care bill. > > In a passionate speech in the State Senate, J. Lowell > Stoltzfus, a Republican, warned that the bill "jeopardizes > good employment for my people." > > "It's going to hurt us very bad," he added, > > The bill's passage underscored the success of the union > campaign to turn Wal-Mart into a symbol of what is wrong in > the American health care system. > > Wal-Mart has come under severe criticism because it insures > less than half its United States work force and because its > employees routinely show up, in larger numbers than employees > of other retailers, on state Medicaid rolls. > > In response to the complaints, the company introduced a new > health care plan late last year, with premiums as low as $11 a month. > > Consumer advocates specializing in health care are hoping > that the Maryland law will be the first of many. > > "You're going to see similar legislation being introduced," > said Ronald Pollack, executive director of Families USA, a > nonprofit health advocacy organization, "and debated in at > least three dozen more states, and at least some of those > states will end up also requiring large employers to provide > health care coverage." > > Mr. Pollack suggested that he did not expect any groundswell > of opposition from corporate America. Most companies, he > said, provide insurance and know that the costs of medical > treatment for uninsured people are reflected in their > insurance premiums. Mr. Pollack said that, by his > organization's calculations, the cost of such treatment drove > up employer premiums by $922 a family last year. In 2006, he > said, the added cost could reach $1,000 a family. > > "Those employers should welcome the fact that the companies > that do not offer coverage now will be forced to step up to > the plate," he said. > > State lawmakers here in Annapolis took repeated swipes at > Wal-Mart during debate over the bill on Thursday. It appeared > that the company's intensive lobbying campaign in Maryland, > including advertisements arguing that the requirement would > hurt small businesses, might have soured some lawmakers. > > Senator Lawlah called the lobbying "horrendous" and adding, > "I have never seen anything like it." > > Frank D. Boston III, the chief lobbyist for Wal-Mart on the > health care bill, stood in the main corridor of the Capitol > building on Thursday wearing a look of resignation. Referring > to unions in the state, he said, "They have a power we can't > match, and we worked this bill extremely hard." > > Class-Action Case in Pennsylvania > > By Bloomberg News > > A Pennsylvania judge granted class-action status yesterday to > a lawsuit contending that Wal-Mart employees had been pressed > to work through breaks and after hours. > > The suit could include as many as 150,000 current or former > employees in Pennsylvania who have worked at a Wal-Mart store > or at the company's Sam's Club warehouse chain since March > 1998, Michael Donovan, the lead plaintiff's lawyer, said. > > The latest class-action filing against Wal-Mart came after a > California jury last month awarded workers $172.3 million in > another off-the-clock case. > > Wal-Mart is appealing. The company settled a similar case in > Colorado for $50 million. > > Wal-Mart has given "every indication" that it will go to > trial rather than settle, Mr. Donovan said. A Wal-Mart > spokesman, Kevin Thornton, said the company was considering > appealing the decision. > > < Previous Page12 > Claudia H. Deutsch contributed reporting from New York for > this article. > > http://www.nytimes.com/2006/01/13/business/13walmart.html?page > wanted=2&ei=5094&en=debeb2ff058e20ed&hp&ex=1137128400&partner=homepage > > -- > It's kind of fun to do the impossible - Walt Disney > > ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~| Message: http://www.houseoffusion.com/lists.cfm/link=i:5:192140 Archives: http://www.houseoffusion.com/cf_lists/threads.cfm/5 Subscription: http://www.houseoffusion.com/lists.cfm/link=s:5 Unsubscribe: http://www.houseoffusion.com/cf_lists/unsubscribe.cfm?user=11502.10531.5 Donations & Support: http://www.houseoffusion.com/tiny.cfm/54
