McDonald’s Jumps Into Health Insurance Reform Fray

All of the usual suspects have spoken on healthcare reform: the uninsured, the already insured, politicians, doctors…but McDonald’s? Their CEO, Jim Skinner, recently spoke about affordable health insurance during a meeting in Boston. Like many people, Skinner believes that the current system needs an overhaul as soon as possible. However, he didn’t reveal whether or not McDonald’s supports the public option, preferring to take a cautious approach on the issue.

Skinner’s remarks, as reported in the Boston Globe, mainly focused on the need to protect small businesses in any healthcare reform bill. You may wonder why a massive multinational corporation such as McDonald’s cares about the plight of small business owners. Well, the vast majority of McDonald’s restaurants (85%) are owned by franchisees who operate independently, albeit with support from the corporation. He believes that while increased access to a health insurance plan is important, it shouldn’t come at the expense of small business. There is a possibility that reform might come with an undue burden on companies and franchise owners buying small group health insurance for their employees. If their savings were jeopardized, millions of Americans could lose their coverage. Clearly, this would defeat the purpose of Congress’ health care reform efforts, and would be opposed by McDonald’s.

What does Jim Skinner think about the charge that his company and other fast food restaurants are part of the problem of soaring healthcare costs by promoting obesity? He pointed out the offering of milk and fruit in some children’s Happy Meals, as well as the expansion of the menu to include healthier selections. Above all, it’s a choice to eat at McDonald’s. Although they could certainly do more to support health (i.e. post calorie counts prominently on the menu everywhere, as they are legally required to do by New York City), there is merit to Skinner’s perspective. As a franchise, McDonald’s has a unique perspective on health insurance from both the small business and large corporation side.

(Image: Official McDonald’s Corporate Website)