Seek Heal Keep: Mackey Smack

John Mackey, co-founder and CEO of Whole Foods Markets, wrote an editorial for the Wall Street Journal in August that sparked some to expand their reasons to boycott the store. Already under the gun due to their union-busting position, Whole Foods is now being cited for Mackey's anti-health care reform stance as outlined in the piece. Mackey's main thesis was not to dig the deficit and debt ditches any deeper. That's a fair enough argument to make... if only he would have stopped there.

Instead, he chose to make specific policy suggestions.

1. Remove the legal obstacles that slow the creation of high-deductible health insurance plans and health savings accounts (HSAs). Whole Foods, it seems, offers a $2,500-deductible plan to their employees so that the company saves a truck-load of cash on premiums. Mackey writes, “Our team members therefore spend their own health-care dollars until the annual deductible is covered (about $2,500) and the insurance plan kicks in. This creates incentives to spend the first $2,500 more carefully.” If by “spend... more carefully” he means not actually spending, then he's right. My personal plan has a $1,500 deductible and so I am loathe to really consider using the care for anything other than emergencies. That surely saves the company money, too, because their insurance provider doesn't have to bankroll a whole lot.

2. Equalize the tax laws so that employer-provided health insurance and individually owned health insurance have the same tax benefits. I actually don't have a problem here, that I know of.

3. Repeal all state laws which prevent insurance companies from competing across state lines. Hey, I totally agree on this one.

4. Repeal government mandates regarding what insurance companies must cover. I don't know enough to speak to this, but any time someone wants to roll back regulation of a major industry, it's a little suspect.

5. Enact tort reform to end the ruinous lawsuits that force doctors to pay insurance costs of hundreds of thousands of dollars per year. See #4... although I think President Obama said he wants to do this, too.

6. Make costs transparent so that consumers understand what health-care treatments cost. Totally.

7. Enact Medicare reform. Ditto #6 — and part of Obama's plan.

8. Finally, revise tax forms to make it easier for individuals to make a voluntary, tax-deductible donation to help the millions of people who have no insurance and aren't covered by Medicare, Medicaid or the State Children's Health Insurance Program. Seems reasonable.

So, eight points in and Mackey isn't seeming like too big of a wingnut or anything, right? Well, then he jumped the cabbage with this fine supposition:

"Many promoters of health-care reform believe that people have an intrinsic ethical right to health care — to equal access to doctors, medicines and hospitals. While all of us empathize with those who are sick, how can we say that all people have more of an intrinsic right to health care than they have to food or shelter? Health care is a service that we all need, but just like food and shelter it is best provided through voluntary and mutually beneficial market exchanges. A careful reading of both the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution will not reveal any intrinsic right to health care, food or shelter. That's because there isn't any. This 'right' has never existed in America.”

You read that correctly — food, shelter, and good health are not promised to you in any way unless you can afford them. In fact, “every American adult is responsible for his or her own health... We should take that responsibility very seriously and use our freedom to make wise lifestyle choices that will protect our health” because 70% of the things that kill us are preventable through proper diet and exercise.

Mackey's logic here is blatant bootstrap classism at its worst and the Billionaires for Wealthcare would be proud. Basically, buck up, fatty. Put down the burger, go buy some carrots at Whole Foods, and your problems will be solved.

Now, I am a huge advocate of nutrition as preventive health care, though I take a more compassionate approach and believe that food, shelter, and good health are, in fact, inalienable rights... or they should be. And while I don't very often shop at Whole Foods (I was a Wild Oats fan from early on.), Mr. Mackey's not giving me much incentive to change that level of support.