BY CHARLOTTE TUBBS
Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
Posted on Saturday, January 12, 2008
Wal-Mart said Friday it wants to work with government, business and labor groups to change the country’s health-care system.
The Bentonville-based retailer hosted the first regional meeting Friday of Better Health Care Together, a coalition formed last year which includes Wal-Mart, labor unions, other corporations, a think tank and a public policy center.
In addition to U. S. Sens. Blanche Lincoln and Mark Pryor, both Democrats from Arkansas, approximately 150 business leaders, state agency administrators, educators and others attended the event at the Clinton Presidential Center in Little Rock.
Wal-Mart has been criticized for its health benefits, which critics said were unaffordable for Wal-Mart employees. In 2005, Wal-Mart introduced a less expensive health insurance plan.
More than 90 percent of Wal-Mart employees are now covered by the company’s health insurance or by other plans. Joe Quinn, director of state healthcare policy for Wal-Mart, would not say what percentage of the retailer’s employees have their health insurance through Wal-Mart.
Wal-Mart also now offers generic prescriptions for $ 4 both to its employees and to customers, and has begun leasing space to medical clinics in some of its stores.
“We believe that there’s an opportunity for us to share the responsibility across our nation for changing health care. Rather than pointing at others, we should point at each other and say, ‘ Let’s come together and make these changes happen, ’” said Dr. John Agwunobi, a Wal-Mart senior vice president and president of its Professional Services Division.
“Each of you has something you can bring, something you can do,” said Agwunobi, formerly the assistant secretary for health at the U. S. Department of Health and Human Services.
One of Better Health Care Together’s principles states that every American should have quality, affordable insurance. Other principles include a belief that individuals have a responsibility for their health, that value of healthcare spending must improve and that businesses, individuals and governments should contribute to managing and financing a new health-care system. It has set a deadline 2012 for its goals.
The group describes itself as bipartisan and does not plan to endorse any presidential candidate, a spokesman said.
Dr. Joe Thompson, Arkansas surgeon general, said in an interview preceding Friday’s meeting that the cooperation of businesses and unions such as Wal-Mart and the Service Employees International Union is a significant change.
“My observation has been [that ] they are advancing the dialogue in an important way because for the first time, instead of having a yelling match, you’re actually having constructive discussion,” he said.
Lincoln said that health care, which affects many aspects of the economy, is the top issue facing the country. She said one of the system’s major problems is the 47 million Americans who do not have insurance.
“We’re just trying to meet the needs, because we’ve got so many people coming into the system through unmarked doors,” she said.
In addition, she said the Medicare system is not prepared for the strains that will come with the retirement of the baby boomer generation. She cautioned against the prospect of a complete overhaul of the health-care system before understanding the value in existing programs.
Lincoln said she is working to pass legislation to help provide affordable health insurance to small businesses and those who are self-employed.
Pryor said that the country’s “broken” health-care system needs more than just patches.
“We really need to get down to the fundamentals of fixing health care in this country,” he said. “It’s not going to be easy. It may not be a quick solution.” He encouraged those attending Friday’s meeting to get involved as Congress considers health-care changes.
Better Health Care Together also released a report, “Health-Cost Crossroad: Why American Businesses Urgently Need System Reform,” in conjunction with the meeting. It found that if trends persist, the number of uninsured in the United States will rise by 7 million to 54 million by 2012. It also stated that Arkansas has the lowest rate of employersponsored health insurance in the country.
The coalition plans to hold other regional meetings across the country, including one in Portland, Ore., in March.
When the new Wal-Mart Supercenter opened in Columbia earlier this fall, it provided job opportunities for more than 200 people...
