Political payback for Walgreens CEO

Rahm & Wasson

As Chicago city retirees brace themselves for another hit on their healthcare plans, corporations like Walgreen's are feeling really healthy.

Back in November, I wrote about the scheme Rahm had cooked up with Walgreens CEO Greg Wasson whereby the mayor would offer parents Walgreens gift cards if they would show up on report card pickup day. Rahm called it, "incentivizing responsible parenting." I call it pay-back for Wasson's political support, particularly for contributing between $500,000 and $1 million to help the city cover expenses for the NATO gathering in May.

And now that the wheels have been greased, here comes some more gift giving -- a no-bid city contract worth about $700,000 to Walgreens so they can  "screen government employees who joined a wellness program to avoid a $50 increase in monthly health insurance premiums."