Only Half of Wal-Mart Employees Use Company Health Plan

Good jobs come from munfacturing.  Don’t plan on the global economy providing health insurance. The only way to save our economy and provide jobs for the future is to buy American made products.

http://www.freedomsringmall.com

But it’s harder and harder to find American made products!

I buy my work clothes on line, Carhardt, Dickies, Carolina boots, Dannon boots, ECT.

I won’t buy (made in China) Red Wings ever again. They’ve lost my business forever!

Just Google American made or Union made clothes, there are several web sites set up for the truly patriotic Americans out there who support their countrymen as do.

How many of wm employes are part time or temps not able to get wm ins anyway?

The thrust of the story seems to be the % of enrollment in the healthcare plan but there could be some context added. Like how does WMT compare with others in the retail sector or which direction health care at WMT is headed.

Ho Chi Min---You’re not Chinese!

Ken V: You think the timing of today’s announcement may have been in response to last night’s debate in South Carolina? Healthcare was at the forefront-and Hillary got stung about her W/M connection.

they can’t afford it and live stuff two high and they make no money .  Not what they should make for what they do.

Neewd to go back to the american made products.

all wal-mart wants is partime employees this way they don’t have to have insurance and etc, just work for nothing.

What a surprise! Wal-Mart Watch couldn’t even provide the full story.

JOE -

Seventy nine percent of Wal-Mart’s associates were eligible during the reporting period - close to 1.1 million.

GC-

Check my link for a little more info. I don’t have stats handy for other retailers.

ddrb-

No.

“revealing that just barely half of Wal-Mart’s employees choose to enroll in the company’s plan.”

I think the word “choose” is significant, as Wal-Mart can’t FORCE people to take the insurance!!

I think the word “choose” is significant, as Wal-Mart can’t FORCE people to take the insurance!! RDS

And why pray tell would anyone “choose” to enroll in a program that is so over priced and under insured? Given the choice of the WM insurance and nothing, I too would choose nothing, because NOTHING is pretty much what you get with their insurance.

$2000 per year per person deductibles! Who could afford to pay premiums and then pay the first $2000 as well? I mean on the paltry wages that they are paid in the first place. I for one would have to risk it.

I mean it would take about 3 or 4 emergency room visits, and that’s per person, that you would have to pay for yourself each year before WM’s insurance would start picking up the bill. Who goes to the goes to the doctor that much? Who could afford their family plan, with enough coverage to make it affordable enough to actually see a doctor?

Wal-Mart only offers insurance for PR reasons. They have the worst insurance of anywhere I have ever seen, and that’s if you’re lucky enough to qualify for it. They don’t offer insurance to help out their employees; they only do it to try to prevent the bad press that they would get if they didn’t offer some kind of policy.

Who goes to the goes to the doctor that much?

Sorry that should have been.....

Who goes to the doctor that much?

hey folks ever stop and realize that some walmart employees reject insurance?wm dont and cant force them to accept insurance.some of them are married and use their spouses insurance plans elsewhere.before you go spouting your big mouths off about walmarts low insurance membership on insurance look at what i said earlier.other places you favor have the same volume of workers rejecting insurance too.did it ever occur to any of you that maybe these folks dont want health insurance?

big d who told you the garbage on walmart insurance the ufcw union?the ufcw union is so full of crap.the same union that does nothing to get their members at the bottom end of the wage scale better wages,benefits and off the food stamps and govt assistance welfare ranks.think twice before you ever again buy any of their propaganda and bunk on walmart.

Yeah, Right Someone in USA!

Why would anyone want to go to walmartfacts.com to get “the full story?” We might do just as well by contacting Wal-Mart’s PR Department.

Mr. Screwed,

It doesn’t matter how you slice the pie, there are going to be some Wal-Mart associates, out there who simply don’t want WM’s healthcare plan:

Those being:

Spouses - why pay twice for healthcare coverage when “the other half” is already getting it at his/her job?

Medicare - this is why a lot of senior citizens don’t want to work full-time gigs at Wal-Mart and other places.  Definitely not a WM issue…

Parents, school or college - same as “spouses”

Other/previous employer - “Other” is a no-brainer—“previous” would come into play only if the covered person was on COBRA following their last job.

Individual policy - can’t imagine this one being any cheaper, but…

VA or military - why pay for anything that you’re already getting for free (or near “free") because of your service to your country?

So, you see, “Someone in USA” did bring some facts to the table—what have you done for anyone, lately?

bbrd:"Spouses-why pay twice?” Ever heard of the concept of secondary coverage and coordinating benefits? VA or military-why pay for anything you’re already getting for free because of service to your country??Do you really think that military service didn’t cost them a hell of a lot? No, I don’t see where Someone brought FACT-I saw a statistic of 79% eligibilty-that does not equate to affordability.Your post provides suppositons and opinions as to possible scenarios,not facts, to explain opting out.Conjecture is not reality-you left out the reality of hugh deductibles as a real reason to opt out.

bbrd: Wonder what the tax write off is for WalMart on providing these health policies,if any?

VA or military-why pay for anything you’re already getting for free because of service to your country??Do you really think that military service didn’t cost them a hell of a lot?

ddrb - you are blurring the lines, as usual......

Of course, I am well-aware of the sacrifices our men and women in uniform have made, and as far as I am concerned, they are very much entitled to those benefits, and so much more…

In the spirit of what I was saying, if say, someone working at WM (or anywhere else, for that matter), was retired from the service and already receiving lifetime healthcare from Uncle Sam (under normal circumstances, this happens after 20 years’ service), why on earth would they pay a premium for medical insurance they are already getting for their service to our country?

As I said before, it’s a no-brainer....

bbrd: Why do people buy supplemental insurance,bbrd? Would not WalMart coverage,if it were affordable,supplement one’s existing policies-to cover a spouse perhaps? Does WalMart cover only the employees?Oh,what about the tax write off,if any for WalMart? I know the interest on loans taken out on the dead janitors policies by WalMart provided substantial tax breaks-which was part of their intended purpose to begin with.

OK ddrb, here’s a hypothetical based on real world experiences.  Would you rather pay $390/month with $100 deductable, $147/month for a $1000 deductable or $0/month or no coverage and why.

Ok Mary heres a hypothetical based on real world experiences.  Would you rather pay $390/month with $100 deductable, $147/month for a $1000 deductable or $0/month and $500 deductable, like I have with my union job and why.

Better yet add to that… $13/month with $1000 deductible and your first $100 on care is 100% paid for.

Mary: What happened to bbrd? Here’s some variables-How many people are covered,How much do I earn?How many hours can I be assured I will work each week? What are the differences in the illnesses and procedures covered in each deductible plan-in other words, does a higher deductible denote a more inclusive list of ailments and conditions that will be covered?Or,is it the same ,just cost more without getting more? I’m certain that other folks can come up with more questions in order to select the most desirable option.Oh,and is this WalMart insurance plans were talking about here,or premiums in general?

Big D, Of the choices I’d take the $0/month and $500 in a heart beat.  And if I could work for a company like that it would great.  Come to think of it I suggest you take that same message to all of the Walmart employees and tell them to join a company like yours.  Do they have the skillsets to work there or do your job?

ddrb, I’m sure bbrd is around here somewhere… just not me but if you want to keep living that dream of yours thinking we’re one in the same then please go right ahead.

The numbers I quoted are for single coverage based on individual and company plans.  And you would be hard pressed to tell me that ANY employee could not afford $13/month.  In most insurance worlds the idea of $13/month for that type of coverage is unheard of.  I couldn’t get that type of coverage 10+ years ago.

As far as the illnesses go I am quite sure you’d have to look long and hard to find any differences in any of the plans for segregation of illnesses.  I know in my years of health care coverage through multiple employers that was never an issue and certainly not based on deductable levels.  It just comes down to simple math and being smart.  I certainly hope the average employee can discern the differences and truly understand what they are getting.  It’s not that hard.

mary : You started your post off as a hypothehical- are you nowspecifically touting WalMart’s plan in your post? Segregation of illnesses is why many buy supplemental-because many bare bones plans offered by some corporations will cover the LEAST likely injuries and catastrophic illness 100%,not the most likely and common health claims, the very purpose the policy owner has purchased it for.(The actuaries hard at work,with their abacus.)You know, Mary, I will agree and concede to you on one point-I’ll even up the ante..."I certainly hope the average employee can discern the differences. “ I not only HOPE they can,I PRAY they can,or get someone to explain it to them ,slowly and carefully.

ddrb, I guess you missed the part where I said “real world experiences”.  The only hypothetical was the question to you.  And you didn’t even have to read between the lines to catch that. 

And at least for group policies I’ll say again… I have never seen in my years of employment policies that have specific illness exclusions.  The first set of prices I quoted I even checked on exclusions and there are non except for the standard “not medically necessary” or “cosmetic” reasons.

mary:I suppose hypothetical and real world linked together could be confusing. ..rather like when you allude to the average employee being able to discern the differences and that $13 a month shouldn’t be a problem for an employee...speaking of reality checks...is health care being offered to Chinese Walmart workers?

Correction: That should have read...is a health PLAN being offered to Chinese WalMart workers?

Wow, now you’re really reaching ddrb....  Wanting to talk about health insurance for Chinese Walmart workers.  As for the $13/month… really… REALLY!!  For even an employee making minium wage you’re only talking about 2 hours a month.  How much is that cell phone, cable, take out food, movie theatre etc.  That’s NO excuse what so ever. 

If you have the opportunity to purchase insurance that covers even just catestrophic illness for pennies a day and you don’t do it then don’t look for sympathy from me if you get finanancially wiped out by a major illness.  What boggles my mind is everyone who talks about “why pay for insurance if I can’t use it”.  Do you say the same thing about home and auto insurance?  REALITY CHECK PEOPLE.

mary,

“I certainly hope the average employee can discern the differences and truly understand what they are getting.  It’s not that hard.”

Seems if someone was like ddrb or Big D, they might have a hard time with this!!  They seem to have trouble understanding the difference between policy cost and deductibles!!  Like Big D. said “Who goes to the doctor that much?” and if someone does not use the doctor ‘that much’, why worry about deductibles?  The main purpose of the $13 a month insurance is basically for catastrophic situations!!  It is basically, like choosing to pay high auto insurance premiums to get oil changes and wiper blade replacement coverage!!

“Do they have the skillsets to work there or do your job?”

If Big D. answers ‘Yes’ to this one, he is not saying much about his qualifications!!

RDS and Mary: You guys fail to realize that for many in this world,$13.00 IS a lot-and I don’t think it’s reaching to think or wonder why the Chinese should not have this plan available to them too,if its as good as you say it is. Why is it “reaching” to recognize human need?

“Big D, Of the choices I’d take the $0/month and $500 in a heart beat.  And if I could work for a company like that it would great.  Come to think of it I suggest you take that same message to all of the Walmart employees and tell them to join a company like yours.  Do they have the skillsets to work there or do your job?”

Yes Mary they do have the skill set to get that kind of insurance and even better retirement benefits.

As for all WM employees doing my job, No, most can not do it. But they (most) can learn if they want to badly enough. First they need to get in contact with a trades union and get accepted into an apprenticeship program.

Most though, are qualified to get into the laborers union. They surprisingly have better benefits than what I receive. For instance, they are eligible for a 20 year retirement with only 10 “good years” of work. (good years, refers to 1250 hrs. work in a given year) plus earn, in many instances $25 per hour or more as well as, as good as, or better health insurance (100% employer paid) as mine.

So there you go Mary, join a union and you too can get those kinds of benefits. Of course not all unions offer these kinds of benefits but there many out there that do. Do your homework. I look forward to seeing you at a future meeting.

“You guys fail to realize that for many in this world,$13.00 IS a lot” Is this the story you are sticking to?  $13/month is “a lot”.  How much was that McDonalds Big Mac value mean your purchased today?  My babysitter makes more than that working 2 hours.  ddrb you are truly in need of the reality check.  As for the “human need” in China by all means I think you should head on over there to fight for their rights.  I’m sure you look at them like you do all of the Walmart employees who you think can’t run their own lives and are in need of assistance.

Big D… it’s very simple then.  If the there are better jobs that pay more for the skillsets they have then those people should be working those jobs.  But why is it so easy for Walmart to fill positions for jobs that are supposedly so undesirable?  Go figure.  So there you go Big D, if you’ve got a skillset then get a better job.  As for me, I don’t need to join a union to have someone tell me what I’m worth because I’m worth a whole bunch more then what they offer.

I,Zulaikha Wasiqi I fell out the applecetion in the stor. plese ansor. thankyou.

Zulaikha Wasiqi

Are you related to Mat by any chance?

But why is it so easy for Walmart to fill positions for jobs that are supposedly so undesirable?

First of all, it’s not. Or at least not as easy as it used to be. More importantly is the fact that most applicants don’t have a clue what they’re getting into, ergo the retail-sector leading turn over rate.*

If you scratch the surface you’ll find Wal-Mart gets huge numbers of applicants but the ratio of wheat-to-chaff is staggering and there is no attempt to keep what little ‘good help’ they find.

The current Bentonville business model operates with a disposable workforce. All this talk about benefits is window dressing.

*Which I will continue to quote as in excess of 50% until someone corrects me.

“First of all, it’s not. Or at least not as easy as it used to be”

If that is true then Walmart will need to change its tune by offering better incentives (pay, benefits etc.) to work there.  Plenty of “wheat” supply dictates their compensation levels are working.  If an available supply of potential employees dries up then you adjust.  Yes we’re back to the simple supply and demand theory that just seems to rear its ugly head.  Go figure.

...then Walmart will need to change its tune...

Amen, mary!

“Amen, mary! “

And isn’t that the beauty of CAPITALISM.

...the beauty of CAPITALISM.

I believe that’s what Andrea Mitchell’s hubby would characterize as “irrational exuberance”.

I’ve never heard Greenspan mention “irrational exuberance” and “capitalism” in the same breath.

I’ve never heard ANYONE mention Greenspan as THE beauty of Capitalism....that WOULD be “irrational exuberance.”

Yea, I guess you’re right ddrb.  Greenspan’s term as head of the Fed over his 20+ years yielded very little and took the US down the road to ruin.

mary people like big d,screwed by,ken and etc have no answer because they darn well know deep down and they dont want to admit it that we are right.idiots like them actually stupidly believe all this propaganda and garbage by alex goldschmidt and etc on walmart watch which gets a lot of its garbage from the ufcw union.

...all this propaganda and garbage by alex goldschmidt and etc...

You got that right, matty v…

And we all know where you get your propaganda and garbage from Matty V and bbrd.

Seems to me that you wouldn’t spend so much time defending Walmart on here if you truly believed they have done no wrong.  Curious as to how your types even stumble upon these sites.

Do you wake up one day and say “I really love Walmart so much and must find a way to promote them.  I KNOW, I will find a site that is anti-Walmart and try to go on there in a vain attempt to convert people with my circular reasoning and bullshit conspiracy theories against unions!”

Speaking of UNIONS ------------DID YOU SEE THEY ARE UP IN NUMBERS<-----------TAKE THAT RDS .

better unlike you i am a former ufcw union member and know their tactics.they tell you not to shop at non union stores like dollar tree,walmart,rite aid and etc.its none of the ufcw unions dam business where i want to shop and spend my money.its not their right to tell me where to shop either.if the ufcw union spent as much time fighting harder for full time work for all union members and quality living wages and benefits for all members as they do picking on walmart and worrying about stuff they have no right to like wms pay and benefits then the ufcw would have less turnover.les on food stamps and govt assistance welfare programs and much more happpy members in their union.

ma,

“Speaking of UNIONS ------------DID YOU SEE THEY ARE UP IN NUMBERS<-----------TAKE THAT RDS”

Unfortunately, most of those are in the public sector (government) and not in the private sector, where the number of private sector workers is down from 1983 (2007-12.1% vs. 1983-20.1%)!! Take that!!

http://www.clevelandfed.org/research/trends/2007/1107/04ecoact.cfm

So let me see if we are all following this MV?  One of your main arguments with the ufcw is that when you were a member they told you where to shop?

Next you will be telling us that the ufcw had spies following you on your grocery shopping trips.  Paranoid much?

And enlighten us once again, how long ago were you actually a member of this union?  Didn’t you say like 1990 in one of your previous posts?  What, you are still pissed off that they didn’t bump your teenage ass up from box boy to cashier?  I mean it has been nearly two decades!  Get over it already!

This is too damn hysterical!  You can go ahead and shop wherever the hell you want.  Nobody really gives a shit!  Just be thankful that others are shopping at the stores your warehouse supplies.  As long as that continues to happen you don’t need to show any loyalty to your company.

But REMEMBER:

Your good paying warehouse job does exist because of the NON-Walmart consumer!

RDS: According to Writing on the Wal,the numbers HAVE increased in low paying retail jobs. It is ironic that government workers feel the need to organize and are allowed to do so,and no one seems to object to that...why?

how about the low paying ufcw union grocery stores?im appalled you that hiss about walmarts wages have no problem with the low poverty level wages the ufcw union stores still pay and the fast food joints and other high costs stores like k-mart,target and etc pay their employees.i am going to keep railing on the ufcw union on here whether you folks or alex goldschmidt likes it or not.because you are being fed lies and misinformation.

my god ayn rand will one day come back and save all of us believers from you union socialist haters of the lowest wage. right now our plans are working against all those fools who thought they should have a home and a mortgage and take from our profits in some stupid right of living wage for work crap. the problem with the unions is they don’t understand that greed is good and selfishness is better than some crap about social responsibility. the govt is no different with all that welfare for unemployed workers taking from the real earners of society and giving it to lazy, homeless, foodstamp and healthcare sponges who don’t deserve to kiss sam’s shoes. only i can know the conspiracy of the unions and govt against visonaries like myself and sam walton. those black helicopters are not going to deter me from my mission to make sure a walmart is in every town were it is not wanted and to tell the truth that unions have never paid better wages than walmart… they are back with radar ground sweeping… wait… they see me i think...i’m gonna try hiding under that large dumpster...only use pay phones to keep the unions from listening in on your calls...i gotta go.