Wal-Mart Can Be Our Surprise Salvation: A Two-Part Discussion of the Retail Giant's Health Care Potential

In America, we have 43 million Americans without health insurance.

Ultimately, the political infighting about our health care crisis isn't the point. The possibility of solving it is. I am as surprised as you might be to believe that the best hope lies with Wal-Mart.

First, a few facts:

1. All the plans being considered address the needs of the 43 million uninsured, many of whom cannot afford to buy decent insurance.


2. The goal of all the plans is to change that. People who are currently insured would be able to keep their insurance.


3. Big insurance companies would no longer be allowed to deny coverage to anyone based on pre-existing conditions. If any one of these bills is passed, anyone in America can buy coverage they can afford. In most of the plans, everyone will be required to have insurance, in order to spread the risk and make it more affordable across the board.


4. And in several, a public plan -- administered, like Medicare, by the government -- would compete with private insurance.

Sounds good, but the fly in the ointment is the government.

It's no secret that it takes more people and more time to get anything done when the government is involved. Any new agency to administer this expanded health care is bound to be more expensive than anyone can imagine, or at least and less efficient than we dream possible.

Medicare and Medicaid are entrenched. But, we don't have to depend on the government's performance for the proposed new level of insurance for those without coverage. Who, then, can we trust?

Do I believe in the public option?

I do. But I would like to see it delivered by Wal-Mart.

Why do I say this?

At the start of the Clinton administration. a comprehensive health care proposal failed to pass. However, big business was watching, and saw this as a way to create "managed care systems." They believed that doctors were wasting money making decisions based on personal relationships with patients. Any money their "new" model saved, they knew, would be a windfall for their management teams -- and very soon their public stockholders. Soon doctors were signing with these HMO organizations, because they were afraid that they might have no patients otherwise. Time passed. The savings promised by big insurance companies went into their own coffers, not to patients or to those trained in healing the sick or preventing illness. The HMO model has morphed into dozens of acronyms that gave patients less choice for more money. The percentage of our GDP spent on healthcare continued to increase, in spite of the promise of the Holy Grail of managed care.

Big business in the health insurance sector has thrived. CEOs of major health insurance companies have become millionaires many times over. Fewer people could afford insurance and others were uninsurable because of pre-existing conditions and the crisis continued. So we don't want to leave this to Aetna, or Wellpoint, or United Healthcare. Neither do we want a new government bureaucracy.

How can we get the job done? I think there should indeed be a public option: one that builds on Walmart's success, and uses it to give quality care. Here's my dream: One day, I wake up and hear this from the radio news: "Today, Wal-Mart announced a plan for creating a "Walmart Insurance and Care Program," to provide low-cost insurance for basic health care to the uninsured." Wal-Mart could do this with speed and efficiency.

An average-sized Wal-Mart. Not yet authorized to become "Wal-Mart Health Care and Insurance."

Click here for the rest.

Follow Patricia Yarberry Allen on Twitter: www.twitter.com/drpatallen

Comments

[tiaw578]

A friend of mine (along with a few of her other co-workers) were recently fired from a local Sam's Club. The reasons varied and were mostly ridiculous (One manager was fired for allowing another employee to take a day off.) but the ultimate purpose was to replace employees with health coverage with newer part-time employees who, under their new rules, weren't eligible for coverage. I'd be surprised if this isn't happening across Walmart/Sam's Clubs across the country. If this country has to rely on Walmart for it's salvation then we're in worse shape than I ever imagined.

[diana68]

"Medicare and Medicaid are entrenched" Actually my mother is taken care of quite well with her coverage. The only down side she has experienced is the shoddy treatment she has received from hospitals who don't think she is worth their time. If however they were getting the same amount from everyones treatment they might consider treating people with more dignity.

[tsobserver]

Walmart puts Main Street out of business and they're evil. Walmart puts the healthcare insurance companies out of business and they're good. Make up your mind. Liberals skewer the giant retailer for its aggressive competitiveness and then turn around and laud the idea that they might do the same thing to the insurance industry. This love-hate relationship is amusing.

[Imago]

I just read your bio and I'm thinking that you maybe need to do more research into big box retail and its impact on this country --

I truly hope you read your comments here, and I dearly hope that you will go do some digging into the work of organizations like the Institute for Local Self Reliance.

Here's a good place to start:

http://www.newrules.org/retail/key-studies-walmart-and-bigbox-retail

"Key Studies on Wal-Mart and Big-Box Retail"

The first few studies listed there:

Economic Impact of Local Businesses vs. Chains
Studies have found that locally owned stores generate much greater benefits for the local economy than national chains.

Retail Employment
These studies examine whether the arrival of a superstore increases or decreases the number of retail jobs in the region.

Wages & Benefits
Studies have found that big-box retailers, particularly Wal-Mart, are depressing wages and benefits for retail employees.

Existing Businesses
These studies look at how the arrival of a big-box retailer displaces sales at existing businesses, which must then downsize or close. This results in job losses and declining tax revenue, which some of these studies quantify.

Poverty Rates
Counties that have gained Wal-Mart stores have fared worse in terms of family poverty rates, according to this study.

Social and Civic Well-Being
This study found that Wal-Mart reduces a community's level of social capital, as measured by voter turnout and the number of active community organizations.

[Imago]

Are you kidding, Ms. Yarberry?

Do you have ANY idea how Walmart functions? What it does to communities? What it does to employees?

This article is bsolute obliviousness bordering -- no, actually, falling right into -- irresponsibility.

Walmart is no different in its ethos than the worst of the insurance companies. I'm appalled.

[wackylady]

what's up with this story? I can only afford to get minimum coverage which does not even allow me to do a regular dr's visit. Lab fees not even included. Wally World only has these for appearances, they want to be able to say that they give their employees health insurance, yeh, sky high premiums and even higher deductible­s....talk about Respect for the Individual!!!!

we may as welll let the repugs do health insurance then

[kitana360]

Here is Walmart again trying to pass off as the savior. While my husband and I just found out the insurance we get through his work at walmart is actually raising its rates 23% and raising the deductible at the same time. I think this is absolutely ridiculous. When they economy is at its worst Walmart decides to hurt employees more. I am a disabled mother of 4. My husband is the only one working since I lost my job. So as you can imagine things are tight and then I find out today they are raising our rates by that much. We cant afford the insurance but at the same time we cant afford not to have it. Whats a person to do.

[JohnFromCensornati]

When people start talking about Wal*Mart being the answer to our problems, The End is near.