Comments on: Wal-Mart backs push to make companies provide health insurance

By: basher72

basher72 — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 00:07:37 +0000

Of course Wal-Mart is going to push this, aren't they? Anything to undermine the national health care initiative, and keep things exactly as they are, using for-profit insurance companies. In fact, don't be surprised if Wal-Mart actually goes into the health insurance business. A cheap, substandard version, that is.

They are already pedaling substandard medications - their so-called public service of offerng $4.00 prescriptions.

http://www.wakeupwalmart.com/feature/ranbaxy/

Wal-Mart has no honor. If you enjoy "low prices every day", remember that those low prices are a result of the rampant exploitation of very poor people in third-world countries.

By: Beeborb

Beeborb — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 20:17:01 +0000

no surprise here ... the mandate would put all their small-fry competitors out of business and leave Walmart with their same crappy wages and so-called benefits.

By: Penn Shimmer

Penn Shimmer — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 18:44:11 +0000

This is a trick to try to keep insurance companies in business, because where else will employers get the insurance coverage for their workers? Don't trust it, it's yet another scam by corporate greedheads.

By: Savantster

Savantster — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 18:15:05 +0000

If they can get insurance "mandated", it will crush the remaining few mom-n-pop outfits that compete with Wal-Mart in smaller towns (they keep Wal-Martout on purpose, if they can).. Once those stores cave, Wal-Mart will be welcomed with open arms to places currently surviving without them.

And rick@5 is right, they will make sure the law is written in such a way that they can manage to avoid insuring many of those they don't insure already.

The only way to make sure everyone gets medical coverage is to reduce overall cost of insurance while also getting rid of insurance.. that is, single payer while still having employers pay into the system (less than they do now, and based on number of employees or gross receipts/profits). Employees who pay into insurance now will have their contributions reduced and those not paying will start paying .. like we do with Social Security.

The amount of money going into the hands of the "heads of insurance companies" is disgusting, all that money could be SAVED overall simply by removing those people from the process.

By: independent

independent — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 18:07:19 +0000

The only reason Walmart is changing their tune on this subject is that they must have unfairly pre-positioned themselves to profit from this healthcare reform somehow. Perhaps they have struck a deal with some dark alley, sleazy HMO vampire that will do its damndest to deny benefits to its members in return for a "competitive contract".

There should be no employer-mandated health insurance at all. There should be no employer-offered health insurance to begin with. Tying healthcare to your job is just another engineered method of keeping the minions enslaved to their jobs and employers. These two entities must be separated once and for all. It is bankrupting companies and people.

In addition, private for-profit health insurance must be slowly eliminated. There are industries where for-profit enterprise is appropriate. Healthcare is NOT one of those industries. Anyone who thinks so is fundamentally immoral.

By: G the Art Spy

G the Art Spy — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 17:54:02 +0000

This is good news, and Obama needs to be bold. As Financial Times columnist Clive Crook noted on June 30, 2009, Obama is choosing to be "weak," rather than a strong president.

Obama needs to include an employer mandate, a public option (both federal and state), encourage preventive care reimbursement, move people into cheaper generic drugs (including the Medicare Drug Bill that Republicans passed, banning the government from bargaining on prescription drug prices), plus find common-sense (not sneaking) malpractice insurance to lower costs for doctors when the issue is not malice, or gross negligence, but just an accident, which yes, can happen.

The way he can do this is let Gates and the U.S. Military handle and mess up overseas (just like they are doing now, and he isn't stopping them), and campaign all around the country for health care reform. 2) You must attack the opposition, because almost all politicians are self-interested first, and want their perks and reelection, rather than ideological.

Otherwise . . . social inertia, commercial attacks ads, and dumb Congressional politicians on both sides all together will make "health care reform" more a slogan than a change.

By: Allen

Allen — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 17:20:25 +0000

So many posters here got it right. Only the big companies can cope with the government paper-work. I can't believe all the crap that is dumped on business's. Next, I can't believe than ANY business owner would be opposed to bringing health care into the "public good" fold, along with firefighting and police.

My experience starting and running a business was that, sure I was busy, I was happy to pay someone a good wage, but the thought of hiring that first employee, with all the crap that went along with it... I just continued to work more. It wasn't the AMOUNT of tax or workman's comp so much as it was tracking it.

All the current "rules" help the big companies and crap on the little ones.