In June, self-made billionaire Mark Cuban lit up X with a series of posts that didn’t call for sweeping legislation, but something simpler: accountability. “When a large employer pays so little that their full-time employees qualify for Medicaid, or any public assistance, we the taxpayers are effectively subsidizing that big company. That’s wrong,” he wrote.

Cuban wasn’t pitching policy reform—he was drawing a line between capitalism and corporate freeloading. “The best way to reduce the cost of Medicaid is to name and shame big employers that pay their full time employees so little, they qualify for Medicaid,” he said.

Don’t Miss:

Someone tried to drag him into a political label. Cuban pushed back. “When did you stop understanding how capitalism and free markets work? I didn’t mention a word about policy change. If I knew which companies are costing taxpayers money, so they can make more money, I would stop doing business with them. That’s capitalism.”

It’s not the first time Cuban has called out bloated systems. He launched Cost Plus Drugs in 2022 to lower prescription prices by cutting out the middlemen. He’s argued for transparency, not government handouts, and he’s applying the same thinking here: if companies pay workers so little that public programs have to close the gap, that’s not a free market—it’s a subsidy disguised as payroll.

The companies weren’t named in Cuban’s post, but Grok, xAI’s assistant, listed several that often show up in Medicaid enrollment data: Walmart, McDonald’s, Amazon, Dollar Tree, Dollar General, Burger King, Wendy’s, Taco Bell, Home Depot, Lowe’s, Walgreens, CVS, and Uber. These are some of the most recognizable employers in the country, and in many states, they also happen to be the top sources of workers relying on Medicaid and SNAP.

Trending: GM-Backed EnergyX Is Solving the Lithium Supply Crisis — Invest Before They Scale Global Production

This isn’t just a one-off. According to the U.S. Government Accountability Office, Walmart and McDonald’s were among the biggest employers of Medicaid recipients in multiple states as of 2020. Newer state-level data shows Amazon now leads in Nevada. In other states, Walmart, Publix, and McDonald’s remain on the list. The common theme? Workers clocking in full-time hours but still qualifying for public aid.

Medicaid enrollment fell 7.6% in fiscal 2025, yet spending still climbed 8.6%, with states covering a larger share than ever. Budget negotiations in Congress are eyeing cuts of up to $1 trillion over the next decade. But Cuban’s pointing the spotlight elsewhere—on companies with strong earnings, investor payouts, and a long trail of low-wage employment.

He’s not asking for legislation or penalties. He’s asking why anyone should keep doing business with employers that rely on public money to fill in the gaps. The message wasn’t about punishing success—it was about calling out a system where success gets built on the backs of underpaid labor, then packaged as efficiency.

See Also: These five entrepreneurs are worth $223 billion – they all believe in one platform that offers a 7-9% target yield with monthly dividends

Some praised the stance, saying it forces a conversation that’s long overdue. Others blamed politics, inflation, or immigration. Cuban didn’t respond to those points, but the post stayed up, and so did the numbers. Millions of views. Dozens of examples. One repeat question: if consumers knew which companies built their profits this way, would they still support them?

Cuban’s answer is already public. “I would stop doing business with them,” he said.

Read Next: From Moxy Hotels to $12B in Real Estate — The Firm Behind NYC’s Trendiest Properties Is Letting Individual Investors In.

Image: Shutterstock

Up Next: Transform your trading with Benzinga Edge’s one-of-a-kind market trade ideas and tools. Click now to access unique insights that can set you ahead in today’s competitive market.

Get the latest stock analysis from Benzinga:

This article Billionaire Mark Cuban Says ‘Name And Shame’ Big Employers Who Pay So Little Their Workers Get Medicaid—’Taxpayers Are Subsidizing’ Their Profits originally appeared on Benzinga.com

© 2025 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.