DeStefano Outlines Healthcare Plan

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DeStefano Outlines Healthcare Plan

The Connecticut Post June 01, 2006

Ken Dixon

STRATFORD - New Haven Mayor John DeStefano Jr. chose Wal-Mart as a backdrop Wednesday to promote his campaign plan for universal health-care coverage.

Charging that Wal-Mart's inadequate benefits force many employees to seek expensive emergency room care that is paid for by Connecticut's insured population, the Democratic gubernatorial hopeful proposed tax breaks to persuade the corporation, and others, to expand coverage.

"For a full-time employee to get health-care benefits at Wal-Mart, they'd have to spend roughly 27 percent of their gross earnings," DeStefano said.

He said 800 Wal-Mart workers and about 1,600 dependents each year receive emergency room treatments that cost Connecticut residents $5 million.

With him stood local supporters and Rosa Soto, 51, a full-time Wal-Mart employee from New Britain.

While she is lucky enough to have insurance through her husband's employer, Soto said that many of her fellow blue-vested Wal-Mart co-workers don't.

"Wal-Mart makes a lot of money and they can afford to provide better insurance," Soto said.

DeStefano, who is challenging Stamford Mayor Dannel P. Malloy in the Democratic party's Aug. 8 primary, said that his plan would give companies including Wal-Mart, Stop & Shop, Dunkin' Donuts and McDonald's the chance to cut their corporate income taxes in half.

The companies have come under fire in recent years for forcing many full-time workers to either seek emergency room attention or enroll in the state's HUSKY program for their uninsured kids.

DeStefano said Gov. M. Jodi Rell has done little to expand health-care coverage and that Malloy's plan - targeting 70,000 uninsured children - doesn't go far enough.

"It's time for leadership that sees the connection between health-care coverage, a productive work force, a competitive job environment and providing leadership to do the right thing to make this state the best place to live," DeStefano said during a news conference across East Main Street from the Wal-Mart.

Kelly Hobbs, spokesperson for Wal-Mart, disputed DeStefano's claims, stressing that during a recent insurance-enrollment program, 70,000 employees gained coverage.

Speaking from corporate headquarters in Arkansas, Hobbs said nearly 80 percent of those new enrollees previously had been uninsured.

"We offer health benefits to full- and part-time associates in all 50 states, for no more than $23 per month and in some areas, coverage is as low as $11 per month.

She said that in Connecticut, Wal-Mart has 9,000 employees in 35 affiliated stores, with full-time pay averaging $11.24 per hour.

Rich Harris, spokesman for Rell's campaign, dismissed DeStefano's plan as too expensive for businesses.

"He's going to increase your business taxes $350 million," Harris said. "If he thinks that's going to improve the employment climate in this state, then he should explain how exactly that's going to happen. I haven't heard any employer in Connecticut rush to embrace the idea." An official with the campaign of DeStefano's Democratic rival said Malloy was first to call for universal health-care coverage, and laid out a plan in January to provide immediate coverage for Connecticut's 71,000 uninsured children.

"He has a plan for universal health care for everyone, which he will be launching very shortly," said Malloy's campaign manager, Chris Cooney.