AFL-CIO President John Sweeney on Jan. 5 will announce the launch of “a major new health care campaign in 29 states aimed at stopping large, profitable corporations such as Wal-Mart from shifting health care insurance costs onto workers, taxpayers and other businesses,” the federation reported earlier this week.According to the AFL-CIO – to which the SIU is affiliated – state legislation “would require these companies to pay their fair share, for health care. President Sweeney will be joined by state legislators from around the country” during a press conference call announcing the campaign.
The federation further noted that more than one-quarter of workers in companies with 500 or more workers do not receive employer-based coverage, according to a report by the Commonwealth Fund. As job-based health coverage declines, workers and their families increasingly must turn to taxpayer-funded programs like Medicaid to get health care. Today, Medicaid is the second largest expense for most states and continues to grow.
“By requiring large corporations to report what they are spending on health care for their employees and requiring them to pay their fair share, the Fair Share Health Care Act will: 1) reduce the bill taxpayers pay to cover profitable employers’ labor costs; 2) help alleviate the financial pressures facing states as they struggle to meet a growing need for Medicaid; and 3) level the playing field between companies providing good jobs and benefits to their workers and those that don’t,” the federation reported.
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