Only a day after the State of the State Address, the reluctance of a Republican-controlled legislature to echo Governor Jim Doyle's health-care reform plans became evident with the defeat of Assembly Bill 860 in committee Wednesday.
In his address Tuesday, Doyle accused Wal-Mart of 'health-care dumping' because a high number of the company's employees rely on health care provided by the government rather than Wal-Mart.
He said it was 'unethical' and 'unfair' that 1,200 Wal-Mart employees rely on BadgerCare, a taxpayer-funded health-care plan, since this amount is greater than any other corporation.
'If they are dropping coverage for employees they know are eligible for state programs so they can increase profits, there should be serious consequences,' he said.
Consistent with Doyle's rhetoric, state Democrats proposed Assembly Bill 860 back in December, hoping to instill consequences for corporations that do not pay for 80 percent of their employee's health-care costs.
These consequences included huge fines that would hold companies responsible for 'the costs incurred by society' due to the employer's not providing enough coverage.
State Sen. Dave Hansen, D-Green Bay, a co-sponsor of AB 860, said these expectations were not unrealistic for multi-billion dollar retailers. While Wal-Mart pays 66 percent of the premiums for health insurance, Costco pays over 90 percent, he said.
'We should have had bipartisan support for a bill on Wal-Mart because it's costing the state millions and millions of dollars,' he said.
In her testimony before the Committee of Labor, state Rep. Terese Berceau D-Madison said that Wal-Mart is costing Wisconsin taxpayers $4.75 million dollars a year because of the employees who rely on BadgerCare and Medicaid.
But according to state Rep. Steve Nass, R-Palmyra, Chairman of the Labor Committee that reviewed AB 860 on Wednesday, 'the bill is as good as dead.' While he allowed the measure to have a hearing, he said he did so with no intention of it ever being passed.
'It was useful to have a hearing on [AB 860], because not only was the author able to say, 'Hey, here's why I think it's a good idea,' the public then was able to see why it's a bad idea,' he said.
Hansen said that while the bill may never see the light of day again, it has served a purpose in raising awareness.
'We as Democrats do not control the agenda, but we have to shed light on what we consider injustices that are costing the state lots of money,' he said.
