What Wal-Mart Doesn’t Want You To Know

Wal-Mart doesn’t want you to know how many of its workers are forced to rely on public assistance for health care. The mega-store is fighting a new bill in Minnesota which would create "a public list of companies whose workers are enrolled in MinnesotaCare and other government-funded health care programs." Last year, Minnesota spent $270.2 million on MinnesotaCare, the state program for people without access to affordable health care. This led lawmakers to wonder which corporations have the most workers enrolled in the state-funded program: "If it’s true what people say, that big multinational companies are outsourcing health care to taxpayers, then it would be good to have a handle on which ones," said state Rep. Sheldon Johnson. Other states recently have exposed the Wal-Mart drain: Wisconsin last week reported Wal-Mart employees "topped the list of BadgerCare recipients, a state health care program for low-income residents."

B. John

B. John Masters writes about democracy, moral responsibility, and everyday Stoicism at deep.mastersfamily.org. A lifelong United Methodist committed to social justice, he explores how faith, ethics, and civic life intersect—and how ordinary people can live out justice, mercy, and truth in public life. A records and information management expert, Masters has lived in the Piedmont,NC, Dayton, OH, Greensboro, NC and Tampa, FL, and is a proud Appalachian State Alum.