Wisconsin reports Wal-Mart employees “topped the list of BadgerCare recipients, a state health care program for low-income residents.
Wal-Mart has the most employees and families on BadgerCare, the state Medicaid program for low-income working families with children, costing you at least $1.8 million a year. Wal-Mart’s total Wisconsin health care subsidy for state and federal taxpayers is $4.75 million a year, according to recent news reports.
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,” says MN state Rep. Sheldon Johnson.
Wisconsin Citizen Action believes we need to fundamentally change our health care system to one which provides quality, affordable health care for all. “Wal-Mart’s profits last year were $10.3 billion. So, why weren’t they offering affordable health benefits to their employees?”
