Bill takes aim at Wal-Mart

By Staff -- Home Textiles Today, 6/24/2005 11:55:00 AM

WASHINGTON -- Sen. Edward Kennedy (D-Mass.), Sen. Jon Corzine (D.-N.J.) and Rep. Anthony Weiner (D-New York) earlier this week introduced a bill that would that would require states to report annually on the number of employees of large companies who receive health coverage through taxpayer-funded services rather than employer-based plans.

In announcing the Health Care Accountability Act, the officials asserted in a joint statement that “more than 600,000 Wal-Mart workers are forced to get health insurance coverage from the government or through their spouses' plans.” The trio reported that in the 15 states that require disclosure, Wal-Mart employees are the largest single-company block tapping taxpayer-subsidized health care -- costing those states a combined $210 million.