Posted on 01/17/2007 1:21:11 PM PST by Sub-Driver
Court Rules for Wal-Mart in Maryland Suit By MICHAEL BARBARO
A federal appeals court ruled today that Maryland violated federal law when it required Wal-Mart Stores to increase spending on employee health insurance, in a decision that appears likely to end a bitter yearlong legal battle that pitted state legislators, organized labor and health care advocates against the nation’s largest retailer.
The 2-to-1 ruling by a panel of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit is a major setback — if not a fatal blow — for a nascent campaign, called “fair share,” that sought to move millions of America’s working poor off of state-sponsored insurance programs, like Medicaid, and on to employer-based plans.
Facing ballooning Medicaid costs, the Maryland state legislature last year passed a law forcing major employers to spend the equivalent of 8 percent of their payrolls on health care. But it structured the legislation so that it was aimed at only one company — Wal-Mart, which has many workers rely on Medicaid in states from Maryland to Georgia.
Encouraged by the Maryland law, the first of its kind in the nation, lawmakers in dozens of other states said they would introduce similar bills to confront spiraling Medicaid costs.
But the appeals court, upholding a lower court ruling, found that the Maryland rule violated a federal labor law intended to allow companies to create a uniform system of health benefits across the country, rather than navigate a patchwork of state-by-state requirements.
By requiring employers in Maryland to restructure insurance plans, the court found, the law “conflicts” with the intent of the federal labor law, known as the Employee Retirement Income Security Act, or ERISA.
(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...
great news.
I was actually hoping to see walmart move its stores just across the border and pull out thousands of jobs instead.
But this is a good result too.
Thanks God there is still some reason left in the judical process.
Don't complain, your HIGH taxes will continue to subsidize Walmart shoppers and their quest for "Always Low Prices" merchandise at Walmart.
Combined WalMart and DelMarVa PING!!!!!!!!!!
I shop in WalMart BECAUSE my taxes are so danged high.
Who should I despise more?
The Teamsters, or Wal Mart?
That has long been a tough one for me.
Also, I thought that Maryland misadventure into socialism had already been settled.
a nascent campaign...that sought to move millions of America’s working poor off of state-sponsored insurance programs, like Medicaid, and on to employer-based plans.
Hmmmmmm....Sounds a lot like Arnold's plan.
DelMarVa = Delaware, Maryland, Virginia
The peninsula that includes the entire state of Delaware, the Eastern Shore of Maryland and a small piece of Virginia at the southern tip.
Hi, Gabz!
Glad to see this! We switched DH's prescriptions over to WalMart this week. We'll be saving $20 a month now, thanks to the lower drug prices there. :)
He wasn't happy with it because he's drunk the "Anti-WalMart Koolaid" and believes that WalMart is evil and doesn't pay their workers enough, blah, blah, blah.
While we were checking out, I asked the checker if she was making more than minimum wage. She said, "Yes, much more and I have health care benefits and a store discount, too!"
I also showed him that everything we purchased, including his meds, was clearly marked "Made in the USA."
It's hell being married to me. ;)
When you see those words....Look for a SOCIALIST, and hold on to your wallet!
Did I miss the Consititutional amendment that makes heathcare a right? The solution to high Medicaid costs is quite simple: end state-sponsored heathcare. I'll wager that costs will decline once government gets out of the health insurance business.
I get it. You are being sarcastic. You had me going there.
GRRRREAT News! Thanks for posting.
Can someone out there tell poor stupid me exactly how much is a fair share?
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