MEDIA STATEMENT

“Media reports stating that we plan to drop health care coverage for our employees are completely false. These reports are purely speculative and misleading.

McDonald’s and our franchisees have been a leader in offering a fully insured limited benefit plan to hourly restaurant employees for more than 10 years. Regardless of how the regulations evolve over the next several months, McDonald’s is committed to providing competitive pay and benefits, and the strongest employment opportunities possible.

We strongly believe that we offer one of the highest quality limited benefit plans available, including a customized medical plan providing outpatient, inpatient, preventive care, and prescription drug coverage. As we’ve continued to enhance our plan and better educate restaurant employees about the benefits we offer, we’ve seen unprecedented interest and participation. Today, the majority of our franchisees offer the limited benefit plan and nearly 30,000 employees are enrolled in the medical coverage. This participation has more than doubled since 2005.

We’ve had the opportunity to speak with regulatory agencies directly to better understand the implications of the law and to share our point of view. Moving forward, we will continue to have an open dialogue with legislators as well as regulators.”

Steve Russell
Senior Vice President and Chief People Officer McDonald’s USA