Wal-Mart, KFC And McDonald's Workers: So Poor Ohio Taxpayers Pay Their Health Care Costs

CLEVELAND (TDB) -- Policy Matters Ohio, a left-leaning think tank, reports the state government is paying more for the health care costs of the working poor who qualify for Medicaid: "The three employers with the most workers enrolled in Medicaid on average in Ohio were Wal-Mart, McDonald's and Yum! Brands, which owns Kentucky Fried Chicken, Pizza Hut and Taco Bell." Altogether, there were 50 employers with about 111,000 people whose medical benefits were subsidized by Medicaid, a welfare program.

"The state of Ohio paid an estimated $111.5 million in 2007 to cover Medicaid costs for workers and their dependents at the 50 Ohio employers that appeared most frequently in data collected by the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services. Altogether, 111,046 participants in family and children’s Medicaid worked at these employers or were family members of workers.

"The total approximate cost to Ohio of workers and their dependents using Medicaid at employers for whom a four-year comparison was possible increased 29 percent, to $107.6 million last year from $83.4 million in 2004, in inflation adjusted 2007 dollars.

"Enrollment in Medicaid and food stamp programs continued to grow at these employers between 2004 and 2007, increasing by 14.6 percent and 16.8 percent, respectively, over that time. Employee and dependent participation in cash assistance declined 21.6percent during the same period."