Urge Gov. Schwarzenegger to Sign the "Wal-Mart Accountability" Bill

Dear Gov. Schwarzenegger,

I urge you to sign AB 89 (J. Horton), which would begin to hold corporations who don't provide healthcare for their workers accountable.

The bill requires a report to the Legislature of the names of corporations in California whose employees receive healthcare benefits from the Healthy Families or Medi-Cal programs. Eighteen other states already track this information and I believe California should be next.

Profitable corporations like Wal-Mart are forcing taxpayers to foot the bill for their employees' healthcare needs. In 2004, a UC Berkeley study showed that Wal-Mart alone used the state of California to the tune of $32 million to provide healthcare coverage through Healthy Families and Medi-Cal.

We are facing a healthcare crisis in California. With skyrocketing healthcare costs, more employers are avoiding their responsibility to provide healthcare coverage to their employees.

Over 80% of the six million uninsured in California are in working families. Policy makers need to understand the trend for big employers to reduce or eliminate healthcare coverage.

Wal-Mart and other big businesses are avoiding their responsibilities and passing the buck to taxpayers. It is time we held them accountable.

I know Wal-Mart is a contributor to your campaign funds. I urge you to stand up to them and other corporate donors and sign AB 89.

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