Walmart Announces Plan to Expand Health Care to More Employees

From the Denver Post:

Wal-Mart on Thursday said it will expand health care coverage to more employees and reduce the time it takes for part-time workers and their children to qualify for coverage.
Critics immediately branded the announcement as a publicity stunt, and employees said they were unsure what kind of impact the changes would have. Bentonville, Ark.-based Wal-Mart is Colorado's largest private employer. It reported 24,274 employees in the state in January.
The retailer has battled criticism over its health care polices. It made the announcement in advance of chief executive Lee Scott's scheduled Sunday speech at the National Governors Association Winter Meeting in Washington.
Scott is expected to renew Wal-Mart's criticism of bills filed in at least 22 states, including Colorado, that would force the retailer to spend more on health care. Scott said Thursday that employers cannot continue to meet the rising costs of health care and urged a government- business partnership to find an answer.

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Update: 2-25-06 read about a bill that failed in Colorado's legislature from the Denver Post, "Dems fold on Wal-Mart bill"

--Tom Hayes