The Maryland legislature passed a law Thursday that would require Wal-Mart Stores to increase spending on employee health insurance, a measure that is expected to be a model for other states. The legislature's move was a response to growing criticism that Wal-Mart, the nation's largest private employer, has skimped on benefits and shifted health costs to state governments.
See "Maryland Sets a Health Cost for Wal-Mart", Michael Barbaro, The New York Times, January 12, 2006