Wal-Mart's step in the right direction

One of the reasons I decided to stop shopping at Wal-Mart a few years ago (except for when it's unavoidable - in Madison, where I work part of the week, the only real alternative to Wal-Mart is K-Mart unless I'm looking for fertilizer or high-end clothes) was because their low pay and lack of health coverage meant that tons of their employees were using state assistance to make ends meet - meaning that we, the people, were supporting Wal-Mart's oh-so-low prices with our tax dollars.

And though I still have no intention of running out to follow the bouncing smiling face to dropping prices, I do have to give them credit when it's due. Apparently, their newly overhauled health plan will not only present 50 customizable options that should make it more accessible for their employees, but they've included some innovative twists, like eliminating hospital deductibles and offering $4 prescriptions for 2,400 generic meds (1,000 more than its customers are offered at that price).

As the NY Times article says, no one has seen the fine print yet, and there are still barriers to getting all, or perhaps even most, employees covered, but I'll take baby steps in the hopes that they lead to giant leaps down the road.