Next week, keep an eye on the Maryland state legislature. It looks like it will override the governor’s veto of a bill that would require retailers like Wal-Mart to increase their share of spending on healthcare for its workers. The point of the bill was to lessen the burden on public healthcare programs, where workers like Wal-Mart end up because of their low wages and lack of real health care.

Of course, if we had Medicare For All, workers would not face the choice of putting food on the table versus trying to make sure they and their families can see a doctor or treat an illness without ending up in bankruptcy (one of the leading causes of bankruptcy is the inability to pay healthcare bills–in case any of the Democrats who voted for the bankruptcy bill care to be reminded). In the meantime, we have the choice of letting the so-called free market decide who can get decent health care or impose some sort of social responsibility on companies who do business in communities. I think the choice is clear.

The good folks at WalMart Watch have a good breakdown on the issue of the cost Wal-Mart puts on communities by failing to provide decent health care for its workers.