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Public Affairs coverage from our award-winning staff |
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Official: Wal-Mart Wants Health Plan to Cover Illegal Aliens
Produced by Chip Mitchell on Monday, July 27, 2009
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Wal-Mart’s Dr. John Agwunobi |
A top Wal-Mart executive visiting Chicago says the retail giant wants health-care reform to cover immigrants who lack authorization to be in the United States.
Wal-Mart broke from most other big U.S. companies last month by announcing support for requiring employers to provide a medical plan to workers. That’s a key component of President Barack Obama’s planned health-care overhaul.
Now a Wal-Mart senior vice-president says the Arkansas-based company supports something else.
Dr. John Agwunobi heads a Wal-Mart unit that includes the company’s health clinics. He spoke Sunday in Chicago on a health-care reform panel at a convention of the National Council of La Raza, a Latino civil-rights group. The moderator posed this question:
MODERATOR: What about health-care coverage for undocumented immigrants?
Dr. Agwunobi described Wal-Mart’s position.
AGWUNOBI: We believe strongly that everyone should have access to affordable health insurance. Everyone.
Unlike the Wal-Mart executive, President Obama last week said illegal immigrants should not get coverage. The only exception, he said, is children.
Update: Wal-Mart is backpedaling on Dr. John Agwunobi’s comments. Listen to an extended version of the comments.
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steve, usa // Monday, July 27, 2009 @ 9:05 AM
Mexico's second highest income is from illegals sending money home! google it! do you understand how really HUGE that is?? how many of them MUST be here illegally to make that happen?? 12 million? HA! more like 40 million?? we are being invaded, without one shot being fired! does anybody have a CLUE?? whos job it is to protect and defend the United States?? to ABIDE by the CONSTITUTION???? what does it mean? to break the law? why all the infighting? they broke the LAW! period! google "operation w*tback" Eisenhower had this very same problem. he quietly and EFFECTIVLY took care of it! why can we not do the same??? they walked, rode, swam over here. they can do the same going home taking their anchor babies with them! and then, if they want. they can GET IN LINE. like all the rest of the "LAW ABIDING " people that do it the RIGHT WAY!!!
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Terrie Albano, Bridgeport // Monday, July 27, 2009 @ 11:08 AM
Our reporter was at NCLR and felt this speaker was not very effective. But the point is not the talk but the walk...what will wal-mart do to change their policies?
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Brittanicus, Indianapolis, IN // Monday, July 27, 2009 @ 2:23 PM
The battle brewing over legalizing 20 plus illegal immigrants and their family members, is not just a political war that will have dire consequences for just American workers, but for the whole population that pays taxes? The testimonial of Robert Rector an outspoken analyst with the Heritage Foundation, that legalizing the lawbreakers will cost $2.Trillion dollars in escalating taxes, just to pay for retirement and pensions? Because of the decades of indifference of Washington, we are now stuck with a massive occupation of foreign nationals and their families. Now the lawmakers are looking for an easy way out. For all those years of businesses who have intentionally seek cheap labor, thereby dumping the whole financial burden on every US taxpayer.
Their years of lobbying less reputable members of the House and Senate, has paid off admirable. Business have lined their pockets and never paid their illegal employed labor any health care, schooling for the children or the massive welfare benefits? Upcoming is President Obama's promise to the countless numbers, who have invaded our country must not happen. These politicians have compromised our quality of life, our language and our culture. Under pressure from many open border globalist organization our politicians have murdered many immigration enforcement laws. E-Verify--a composite of the SAVE ACT was almost shelved, as they are now straining at the leash to weaken local police action 287(g), the NO MATCH LETTER and even ICE raids.
Currently we are teetering on the edge of OVERPOPULATION, with even our government acknowledging our numbers will rise to 440 million in just forty years. Our country can do without Federal mandates that includes free medial care, education, low income housing--Section 8, food stamps, just a name of few free government handouts. All these benefits should go to American families who are in need. GOOGLE--about the growing chaos in Europe from the importation of legal and illegal immigrants. GOOGLE--the disguised costs that are forced on taxpayers, not disclosed by the media or Congress. America is in survival mode now with nearly 10.5 percent jobless, home foreclosures, car repossessions, health care and more.
USE YOUR VOTING POWER TO CONTACT YOUR POLITICIANS AT 202-224-3121 Believe it! Your voices are having a crucial effect.? Support for the bi-partisan SAVE Act, which will expand E-Verify and protect American Workers! We must focus on the cornerstone to this major problem-the jobs that attract illegal aliens. It would phase in a requirement for every employer to use the electronic E-Verify system. We must also be aware that the Democrats are ready to open the gates to our nation, once a path to citizenship is announced. GOOGLE--the facts at NUMBERSUSA, AMERICANPATROL
Update: one of the authoritative Capitol Hill publications suggests that the Hispanic Caucus is quite pleased with the way the current House health plan will provide coverage for illegal aliens. YES! To government health care for Americans. Definitely NO! Free health care for those here illegally?
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Stephen, Oak Hills // Monday, July 27, 2009 @ 2:25 PM
Walmart wants healthcare for illegal aliens? HA!HA! That's rich, since they don't even give healthcare to most of their own employees. Let walmart put its money where its mouth is. How many billions are they prepared to donate to paying for them? Nothing of course. Let the taxpayers foot the bill. Screw Walmart.
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Martha Zeprun, Chicago // Monday, July 27, 2009 @ 2:31 PM
Of course Wal-Mart wants to cover these people - so it can sell more goods to them. But at the same time, it does not even offer its own employees decent care. And even with healthcare reform, my bet is that most Wal-Mart employees will be on the public option (just like many are now on Medicaid). What a self-serving, greedy position.
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Judy H. Manning, Cave Spring // Monday, July 27, 2009 @ 11:45 PM
WalMart, Gee, I remember that store. It was started by Sam Walton who wanted to sell American manufactured goods. A man who put Americans first. I would just bet that he is rolling over in his grave.
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StevG, St.Louis // Tuesday, July 28, 2009 @ 8:11 AM
First of all, I thought hiring illegal aliens, was against the law, according to the federal goverment. Second of all the reason walmart has a health clinics in every store and would get a hugh finacual windfall from illegal aliens, going there for medical treatment. Third of all, since it is against the law, any business that knowing hires a illegal alien, should have their business taken away and all assets be sold, then you take that money , and put it toward the cost of health care for American citizens, to make it cheaper and avordable for all of us.
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Jen, Carol Stream // Tuesday, July 28, 2009 @ 1:40 PM
I suggest that since Walmart already has stores in Mexico and South America that Walmart develops a free healthcare system in those countries. If health care is extended to illegals (people who have already broken US laws)then millions more will cross the border simply to get health care--something they do not have free access to in their own country. At that point we will have a serious illegal immigration issue, because after getting the care (pre and post maternity care) they will insist their newborns are legal US citizens (which they will be)and the policy of US emigration is not to split up families. What are Walmart's proposals on how they plan to provide social security, medicare, and medicaid to these individuals?
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Donald Diedrick, Carol Stream,Il. // Tuesday, July 28, 2009 @ 2:23 PM
Illegal/undocumented persons here should require a legal work permit(or immigration resolution)prior to being hired,period!Permanently fixing this problem,especially given current unemployment,is URGENT!
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chris, Chicago // Tuesday, July 28, 2009 @ 3:21 PM
How about if their country its economy has been impacted by U.S. trade policies with their country, or if the IMF or World Bank has made their country cut public programs, like education or training. So if the fact is, the U.S. or the West makes certain countries worse, but when people try to survive, it's all the people's fault. Think about this the next time you hear that the U.S. corn exports to Mexico has increased since 1994. I wonder what happened to the Mexican corn farmers... Don't worry, it's all the Mexican farmers' fault.
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Jan Jaman, Healdsburg, CA // Tuesday, July 28, 2009 @ 10:32 PM
That's it! I will not be shopping at WalMart anymore, since they are using their clout to lobby for "affordable" (free) health care for those in the USA illiegally.
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Kevin Dowd, Berkeley, CA // Thursday, July 30, 2009 @ 4:09 AM
WalMart is not exactly your height of credibility and integrity
We need to decide where we want a national healthcare system which will provide healthcare to all American; or a universal healthcare system which will provide healthcare to all humans.
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melena29, Fairless Hills, PA // Thursday, July 30, 2009 @ 7:50 AM
Can you say "BOYCOTT"???
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