Politico Report: HuffPo Misrepresented Walmart

December 4th, 2012 1:50 PM

Slanted lefty “journalism” at HuffPo? Say it ain’t so!

Walmart complained about an article written by the Huffington Post, according to the online news outlet Politico. Walmart spokesperson Randy Hargrove told Politico that the story, entitled “Walmart’s New Health Care Policy Shifts Burden To Medicaid, Obamacare,” was “riddled with inaccuracies.” Hardly shocking, given that it was a hit piece offering writer Alice Hines a chance to quote left-wing academics critical of the company.

Hines wrote that a new change in Walmart’s policy would end healthcare coverage for many of its workers, and possibly leave workers in states like Texas, which has threatened not to implement the Obamacare expansions to Medicaid, without health care coverage altogether.

Hargrove said that the policy, which requires that “part time” employees to work at least 30 hours in order to be eligible for healthcare benefits, has been in place for nearly a year. He went on to say that Walmart’s plan was actually affordable. “Since the policy has been in place, a higher percentage of associates signed on for our healthcare benefits for 2013.”

The Politico article concludes with a quote from Hargrove which stated that, while Walmart took issue with the “lack of facts” in the HuffPo story, the company was “not surprised.”

An addendum to the article stated that the Huffington Post stands by its story.