It appears that Wal-Mart has begun to take some of its criticisms to heart; days after pledging to investigate labor standards at its international suppliers, the company has announced the introduction of a cheaper health insurance plan for its employees. The new benefits, which Wal-Mart calls the Value Plan, follow years of complaints that at Wal-Mart, the nation's largest employer, health insurance is out of reach for many of its 1.2 million workers in the United States.
See "Wal-Mart to Expand Health Plan for Workers", Michael Barbaro, The New York Times, October 23, 2005