“Wal-Mart’s enemies say Maryland is justified in expropriating some of the company’s revenues [for health care] because the company’s pay and medical benefits are insufficient to prevent some employees from being eligible for Medicaid. Well. Eighty-six percent of Wal-Mart employees have health insurance, more than half through the company, which offers 18 plans, one with $11 monthly premiums and another with $3 co-payments. Wal-Mart employees are only slightly more likely to collect Medicaid than the average among the nation’s large retailers, who hire many entry-level and part-time workers. In the last 12 months, Wal-Mart, the largest private employer in the nation and in 25 states, estimates it has paid its 1.3 million employees $4.7 billion in benefits. That sum is almost half as large as the company’s profits, which last fiscal year were $10.3 billion—just 3.6 percent—on revenues of $285 billion. Wal-Mart earns just $6,000 per employee, one-third below the national average. Anyway, Wal-Mart’s pay and benefits are sufficient to attract hordes of job applicants whenever it opens a new American store, which it does once every three days.” —George Will
Perhaps the fact they are not union allows them to operate at lower costs. $4.7 billion in health care benefits is more money than some companies made last year. Just one more step toward socialism.