DeStefano: Wal-Mart should stop passing the buck on healthcare

May 31, 2006

New Haven - John DeStefano - Democratic candidate for governor - joined Wal-Mart employees and local elected officials at news conferences in front of Wal-Mart stores in Stratford and Hartford, to demand Wal-Mart and - companies like it - do more to ensure its employees have access to affordable health care. Each year in Connecticut Wal-Mart tops the list in sending taxpayers the bill for their employees' health care coverage. More than 800 Wal-Mart employees, and 1,600 children, received taxpayer sponsored health care coverage in 2004, costing taxpayers more than $5.5 million.

"I believe it's wrong that companies like Wal-Mart don't share in the responsibility of providing affordable health care to their employees," said DeStefano. "My universal health care plan would force companies like Wal-Mart to either provide quality health care for their employees or lose their state tax benefits. Taxpayers spend millions each year to cover health care for Wal-Mart workers, and that's not fair to tax payers or the employees."

Under the DeStefano plan, companies like Wal-Mart would have one of three choices: Provide health care coverage under the Connecticut Health Care Consortium and have their corporate income tax cut in half, dedicate 5% of their payroll for employee health care coverage and have their corporate income tax cut in half, or fail to provide quality health care for their employees and lose their state tax benefits.

"I am calling on Wal-Mart to support my "shared responsibility" plan for affordable health care coverage," said DeStefano. "It's time for Wal-Mart to support solutions to affordable health care rather than use their political power to simply send their health care bill to taxpayers. The Connecticut CAN! proposal rewards companies that support the "common good" when it comes to health care and doesn't allow companies like Wal-Mart to pass the buck."

An estimated 356,000 people in Connecticut - including 71,000 children - do not have the security of health insurance to allow them to obtain preventive care or cover their medical needs should they fall ill - and this despite the fact that a large majority of the uninsured in Connecticut are employed.

The following is a list of four of the companies most responsible for shifting their health care costs onto Connecticut taxpayers:

Wal-Mart: $5.6 million paid by CT taxpayers in 2004, 824 workers on Husky.

Stop N Shop: $5.1 million paid by CT taxpayers in 2004, 741 workers on Husky

Dunkin Donuts: $3.6 million by CT taxpayers in 2004, 530 workers on Husky

McDonalds: $3.1 million by CT taxpayers in 2004, 460 workers on Husky.

Total cost: Nearly $20 million per year and more than 3,000 workers on Husky.

Source: Connecticut Health Policy Project

DeStefano is challenging those companies most responsible for shifting their health care costs onto taxpayers. As governor, DeStefano would work with them to achieve affordable health care, but they will not get a free pass like they are getting under Gov. Rell. She has offered NO plan for universal health care coverage. Her most recent State of the State address did not even mention Connecticut's health care crisis.