Wal-Mart Watch

 SPOTLIGHT ON HIDDEN HEALTH COSTS--New federal legislation would make public the extent to which large corporations, such as Wal-Mart, shift their employee health care costs onto taxpayers. Introduced June 22, the Health Care Accountability Act would require states to disclose which employers have a high number of employees on public health care assistance, such as Medicaid. The federal legislation is modeled on similar measures the AFL-CIO has worked to introduce in state legislatures. Some 30 states have introduced or plan to introduce such legislation. In 12 of the 13 states where data have been released and analyzed, Wal-Mart workers are at the top or near the top when it comes to relying on public health programs. The Senate and House bills were introduced by Sens. Edward Kennedy (D-Mass.) and Jon Corzine (D-N.J.) and Rep. Anthony Weiner (D-N.Y.). For more information on Wal-Mart, visit http://www.WalMartCostsYou.com and http://www.WakeUpWalMart.com