Our newest press release on the Wal-Mart health care saga:
WAL-MART CONTRADICTS WAL-MART ON COMPANY’S LATEST HEALTH CARE FIGURESWAL-MART IGNORES OWN STATEMENTS PROVING THE NUMBER OF WORKERS INSURED BY THE COMPANY DECLINED IN 2006/ ATTEMPTS TO BLAME MEDIA FOR “ERRONEOUSLY” REPORTING PAST HEALTH CARE DATA
WASHINGTON, DC - Yesterday, in an attempt to hide the shocking fact that Wal-Mart’s own health care figures prove that the actual number of Wal-Mart workers insured by the company declined in 2006 from 638,000 to 636,391, Wal-Mart argued that the national media, including the Wall Street Journal, New York Times, and Pittsburgh Post Gazette, “erroneously” reported that Wal-Mart provided health care to 638,000 employees at the beginning of 2006.
According to an article yesterday by Reuters, “The Wal-Mart spokesman, Dan Fogleman said that the 638,000 figure was erroneously reported…”
However, the fact that Wal-Mart told the media that it provided health insurance to 638,000 employees was not erroneously reported. Both in December 2005 and in January 2006, Wal-Mart spokesman Nate Hurst confirmed, in separate interviews with the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, the Harrisburg Patriot News, and other media outlets that 638,000 Wal-Mart workers were insured by the company.
The exact passages from the articles are provided below:* “Wal-Mart, which is considering challenging the Maryland law, will fight such efforts in Pennsylvania and elsewhere, spokesman Nate Hurst said Friday. Nationwide, 638,000 of Wal-Mart's 1.3 million workers have health insurance through the company, he said. The company expects support from other businesses that could be targeted next, Hurst said. [Harrisburg Patriot News, 1/19/06]
* Mr. Hurst said Wal-Mart provides health insurance coverage for 638,000 of its 1.3 million workers. Many of those not covered by Wal-Mart's health plans are young people covered by their parents' insurance or senior citizens covered by Medicare, he said. "We have made some significant changes in our plan to increase affordability and access," Mr. Hurst said. [Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, 1/6/06]
Therefore, based on Wal-Mart’s own reported figures the number of Wal-Mart workers covered under the company health care plan actually decreased, not increased, in 2006 by nearly 2,000 employees. Wal-Mart’s claim that it increased enrollment by 8% year over year is false.
Based on the misleading statements made Wal-Mart spokesman Dan Fogelman, WakeUpWalMart.com released the following statement attributable to Chris Kofinis, communications director for WakeUpWalMart.com.
"To add insult to injury, Wal-Mart’s own spokespeople are now contradicting one another and are trying to blame the national media for their own deceptions. The reality is, Wal-Mart’s deception is either a desperate attempt to hide the fact that Wal-Mart now insures fewer workers than it did a year ago or Wal-Mart falsely inflated last year’s figures to try and avoid paying its fair share for health care. Either way, Wal-Mart should be ashamed.
We call on Wal-Mart to apologize to the national media and to own up to the fact that its own figures prove that the Wal-Mart health care crisis is worsening. Clearly, with well over half of its employees and families left uninsured by the company, it is more evident today than ever before that Wal-Mart’s health care is unaffordable and must be changed. We hope that Wal-Mart will face this simple and obvious truth and take steps to live up to its health care responsibilities.”
Posted by Sascha - January 12, 2007 02:16 PM - Hard to Believe