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Update</title></head><body>
<div><tt>and right on the heels of the report is this.</tt></div>
<div><tt>mark.</tt></div>
<div><tt>*********</tt></div>
<div><tt><font color="#000000">Wal-Mart to Loosen Health Insurance
Limits</font></tt><br>
<tt><font color="#000000"></font></tt></div>
<div><tt><font color="#000000"><br></font></tt></div>
<div><tt><font color="#000000">By MICHAEL BARBARO<br>
Published: February 23, 2006<br>
<br>
Wal-Mart Stores, facing a raft of state legislation that would require
it to increase spending on employee health insurance, will lift
several of its long-standing - and most-criticized - restrictions
on eligibility over the next year, the giant retailer said this
morning.<br>
<br>
The changes, which Wal-Mart's chief executive, H. Lee Scott Jr., will
formally announce before a meeting of the nation's governors on
Sunday, underscores how big a public relations threat the health care
issue has become for the nation's largest private employer.<br>
<br>
Wal-Mart insures less than half of its 1.3 million employees in the
United States and has come under growing criticism for skimping on
benefits and shifting the cost of health care to state governments. In
the past two months, the Maryland Legislature passed a law that would
force Wal-Mart to improve its benefits and legislatures in a dozen
more states, including California, Washington and Rhode Island, are
considering similar bills.<br>
<br>
The new eligibility rules at Wal-Mart are intended to increase the
number of employees who can access the company's insurance plan, but
it was unclear how significant the impact would be because Wal-Mart
released little detailed information.<br>
<br>
What is clear is that Wal-Mart would still require workers, whose
average pay is less than $20,000 a year, to pay hefty annual
deductibles and monthly premiums.<br>
<br>
Wal-Mart said it would "significantly" reduce the waiting
period before a new part-time employee is eligible for insurance, but
it declined to specify by how much. Today, part-time workers must wait
two years, compared with 180 days for full-time employees.<br>
<br>
In addition, the company will allow part-time employees to enroll
their children in the company's health insurance plan. Until now,
Wal-Mart covered only the children of full-time workers.<br>
<br>
At the same time, Wal-Mart said it would make a new health-care plan
introduced in several regions this year, with premiums as low as $11 a
month, available to half of its employees by next year.<br>
<br>
That plan allows for several prescriptions and doctors visits before a
$1,000 deductible kicks in. But it is unlikely to cover a complicated
illness or expensive hospital stay during the first year, when there
is a $25,000 insurance cap. In addition, out-of-pocket payments range
from $300 for prescriptions to $1,000 for hospital stays.<br>
<br>
Wal-Mart also said it would expand the use of in-store clinics to
treat employees. Such clinics, which the company set up in Northwest
Arkansas as a test six months ago, are intended for non-emergency
medicine, like flu shots.<br>
<br>
"We are trying to make our plans more relevant, accessible and
affordable," said Mona Williams, a Wal-Mart spokeswoman.<br>
<br>
Asked how many workers are expected to enroll in the company's health
insurance plan after the changes, she said: "We think these
enhancements are a step in the right direction for associates but
don't yet know how they affect take rates."<br>
<br>
It is unclear how much the new plan will cost Wal-Mart, a number that
investors will be anxious to learn given Wal-Mart's no-frills business
model, which emphasizes low labor costs. Ms. Williams said the plan
was factored into Wal-Mart's profit forecast for 2006, which the
company announced earlier this week.<br>
<br>
The changes represent a significant victory for Wal-Mart critics,
particularly organized labor, who contend the retailer has skimped on
benefits and shifted health costs to state governments.<br>
<br>
The groups have tried, with apparent success, to turn Wal-Mart into a
symbol of what is wrong with American health care, triggering
legislation in numerous states that is directed squarely at
Wal-Mart.</font></tt></div>
<div><tt><br></tt></div>
<div><tt>At 2:14 PM -0800 2/23/06, TIM RIGSBY wrote:</tt></div>
<blockquote type="cite" cite>
<blockquote type="cite" cite><tt>From
Wakeupwalmart.com</tt></blockquote>
</blockquote>
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<blockquote type="cite" cite><tt><br>
You are not going to believe this. Wal-Mart’s health care spending
per employee actually went down, and the number of Wal-Mart workers
without company health care has risen to a whopping 775,000 workers or
57% of the company.<br>
<br>
In response, our campaign is releasing a shocking new report titled,
“America Pays, Wal-Mart Saves: The Growing Cost of the Wal-Mart Health
Care Crisis.” The report estimates the Wal-Mart Health Care Crisis
cost American taxpayers nearly $1.4 billion in 2005 with a projected
cost over the next five years of $9.1 billion.<br>
<br>
Please download your copy of the shocking report and take action
today:<br>
http://www.wakeupwalmart.com/redirect/healthcrisis<br>
<br>
As you know, we have been working vigorously to enact Fair Share
Health Care legislation all across America to stop corporations, like
Wal-Mart, from shifting their health care costs onto taxpayers.
Although Wal-Mart and its allies are spending untold sums of money and
hiring lobbyists in every state to defeat us, the will of the American
people cannot be stopped.<br>
<br>
We are launching a new tool on our website to help you make your voice
heard in your local community. You now have the ability to find your
local newspaper and submit a letter to the editor by going to
WakeUpWalMart.com<br>
<br>
Please make your voice heard on the Wal-Mart health care crisis by
going to:<br>
http://www.wakeupwalmart.com/redirect/healthletter<br>
<br>
Wal-Mart’s shockingly bad health care numbers prove more than ever
how important it is to build public pressure to change this
corporation. We need your help now! We have to grow our movement from
182,000 supporters today to 1 million supporters. As our grassroots
army becomes larger, we will become an even more powerful force for
change.<br>
<br>
Only you have the power to change Wal-Mart and change America. Make
sure to download your copy of the “America Pays, Wal-Mart Saves”
report and ask your friends, family members and co-workers to join our
movement to change Wal-Mart and build a better America.<br>
<br>
Thank you for all that you do,<br>
<br>
Paul Blank<br>
WakeUpWalMart.com<br>
<br>
<html><div>Revolution is not a word but an application; it
is not war but peace; it does not weaken, but strengthens. Revolution
does not cause separation; it generates togetherness. <BR>-John
Africa, <EM>Strategic
Revolution</EM></div></html><br>
<br>
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http://search.msn.click-url.com/go/onm00200636ave/direct/01/</tt></blockquote
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