notthatkindagay:

Wal-Mart, the world’s largest private employer, announced in a letter to President Obama today that it will support a requirement that all businesses provide health insurance coverage as part of sweeping health reform legislation.

The endorsement of the so-called employer mandate represents a dramatic reversal for the retailing giant and a boost for the White House as it tries to inject momentum into its top domestic priority.

This is pretty big news.

One wonders how much this is based on principle, and how much on business strategy. I suspect that much of Wal-Mart’s smaller competition will have a harder time affording this than the corporate behemoth will. After all, the meat industry supported regulation in 1906 for the same reason.