Wal-Mart Watch Requests State Medicaid Enrollment Lists
For Immediate Release
Friday, April 27, 2007
Washington, D.C. – Wal-Mart Watch today kicked off “Cover The Uninsured Week” by submitting Freedom of Information Act (F.O.I.A.) requests to all 50 states to obtain data showing how many Wal-Mart employees receive their health care through taxpayer-funded health insurance programs such as Medicaid.
In 2005, data from almost half of the states showed that the number of Wal-Mart employees enrolled in Medicaid topped the list compared to other companies every time. By its own admission, fewer than half of Wal-Mart’s employees are covered by Wal-Mart health care insurance, compared to the national large employer average of 63% (Source: Kaiser Family Foundation). The other half and their families are forced to go without health insurance or resort to alternatives like taxpayer-funded Medicaid. One recent disclosure found that 3,971 of Wal-Mart employees in its home state of Arkansas are on public health care assistance, costing state taxpayers $39.6 million annually.
“Our recent polling shows that people are starting to think less favorably about Wal-Mart because of its policies,” said David Nassar, executive director of Wal-Mart Watch. “If Wal-Mart’s leadership doesn’t address the critical issue of health insurance along with a multitude of other important policies such as gender discrimination, fair wages and company spying rather than hiding behind a multi-million dollar public relations campaign, the sustainability of their business is clearly in jeopardy.”
In addition to the nationwide F.O.I.A. requests, Wal-Mart Watch also launched an e-mail campaign to encourage citizens to ask their state legislators to obtain this information because citizens have a right to know if their hard-earned tax dollars are going to pay for employee health insurance for the world’s largest company.
The text of the F.O.I.A. letters is below. For more information regarding Wal-Mart’s health insurance and other policies, visit www.walmartwatch.com/healthcare. More information on “Cover The Uninsured Week” is available at www.covertheuninsured.org.
April 24, 2007
Dear Records Request Office:
Pursuant to the state open records act, I request you release all documents revealing the number of employees and dependents enrolled in state-funded health care programs, as broken down by employer.
In order to help determine our status to assess fees, you should know that The Center for Community and Corporate Ethics is a not-for-profit organization, and this request is made as part of our own research and business practices and not for commercial purposes.
I request a waiver of all fees for this request. Disclosure of the requested information to me is in the public interest because it is likely to contribute significantly to public understanding of the operations or activities of the government and is not primarily in my commercial interest.
Our organization is devoted to studying the impact of large corporations on American society and government. Information regarding the availability and affordability of employer based health care plans is critical to accurately assess that impact.
If my request is denied in whole or part, I ask that you justify all deletions by reference to specific exemptions of the act.
Thank you for your assistance.
Sincerely,
David Nassar
