By Jonathan Birchall and Francesco Guerrera in New York
Financial Times
Published: April 3, 2008
The chief executive of Wal-Mart has criticised US business for not taking a lead in the debate on the future of US healthcare ahead of the presidential elections in November.
Lee Scott said in a Financial Times interview that he was "not particularly encouraged" by the public debate on the issues.
"I think business has been absent in this debate on healthcare. I'm not sure why," he said.
"I think government is going to be engaged after this election regardless of who wins, and I think business should be more involved in the discussion. I think it has long-term ramifications for our global competitiveness."
Mr. Scott said Wal-Mart, which has more than 1.3m US employees, had not taken "a firm stand" on what a national healthcare system might look like.
The retailer has in the past argued that reforms should focus on reducing costs rather than increasing employer funding of the system.
Some US corporate leaders say they have kept a low profile on healthcare for fear of being dragged into a political debate that could end up harming their companies' image and finances.
One chief executive of a large US company said recently: "Healthcare is a minefield of problems. We don't know yet how the debate will shape up and until then we don't want to make our positions known."
Mr. Scott said some business leaders might hesitate to take on the burden of entering a debate that they were not required to be in. But "in our case we were already in the debate", he said.
Union-led critics have repeatedly attacked Wal-Mart during the past three years over the level of healthcare provision for its low-wage workforce.
Its healthcare spending is below unionized competitors - principally the three leading supermarket groups - while being broadly in line with other retail competitors.
Mr. Scott expressed satisfaction that in spite of the union campaign, Wal-Mart's record had not become an issue in the Democratic primaries. Hillary Clinton served on Wal-Mart's board from 1986 to 1992 when her husband was governor of Arkansas, the retailer's home state.
Both Democratic presidential hopefuls say they want employers to either provide health insurance or to contribute towards costs, with Barack Obama saying he would set a percentage of payroll costs for health coverage.
When the new Wal-Mart Supercenter opened in Columbia earlier this fall, it provided job opportunities for more than 200 people...
