Rep Anthony Weiner (D-NY) and Sen Edward Kennedy (D-Mass) later this month are expected to introduce legislation intended to encourage large employers such as... Wal-Mart to provide health insurance to more workers, CQHealthBeat reports. The bill -- which has the support of several other Democratic legislators -- would require states to disclose annually the number of employees of companies with a workforce of 50 or more who receive health coverage through publicly funded programs rather than employer-based plans. States would be required to report the cost of health coverage for those employees, as well as the ratio of employees in the company who receive such assistance. About a dozen states have proposed bills that would require large companies to offer health care insurance or face penalties such as paying higher taxes, contributing to funds for the uninsured or reimbursing the state for workers on Medicaid. Wal-Mart executives defend the company's health care coverage, saying that its health care benefits are equivalent to those of other large retailers (CQ HealthBeat, 6/14).

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