Whole Foods CEO John Mackey: Another Republican for John McCain's Do-Nothing Health Care Plan
Posted on August 13th, 2009 by Jason Rosenbaum in News Clips
 |
John Mackey, libertarian CEO of Whole Foods, is against health care reform. That's no surprise.
What is surprising is the plan he does advocate is the same one John McCain ran and lost on during the Presidential campaign. What is that plan?
- More high deductible plans, so you pay more for health insurance for less coverage
- Taxing your health care benefits, so you pay more
- Allow people to buy insurance across state lines, so insurance companies can all move to the least-regulated states to continue to screw you over
- No mandates for what insurance must cover, so insurance companies are free to screw you out of care some more
- Tort reform, so you can't sue your insurance company or doctor if they screw up
- Cut Medicare. Now that's really going to kill grandma.
This is the same plan John McCain ran on, and it's one that does absolutely nothing for you. It doesn't lower your costs, it doesn't lower the cost of health care, and it does the opposite of keeping the insurance industry honest - it opens up regulations so they will have more ways to deny you can so they can make more money.
In short, it would, as Ezra Klein notes, do nothing for you. It's also against Whole Foods' corporate commitment to "caring about our communities & our environment." (Maybe you should contact them to tell them how you feel.)
It's also the only plan Republicans have.
The GOP's "Patients Choice Act" should be called "Profit Choice Act" because it'll only benefit the gouging middleman that is the private insurance industry.
As a matter of fact, no one hears this so-called plan because even though the Republicans know it would never pass in the House or the Senate, their agenda is not to promote a solution to a problem but to protect a special interest that feeds the campaign finance machine.
To put it metaphorically, private insurance companies are like abusive spouses and the Republicans are the enabling parents who wish to keep us in this unhealthy relationship for the sake of tradition.
It's time to wake up from this battered woman syndrome and slam the door on the corporations who have denied us coverage, abandoned homeless people at other hospitals, spent thousands of man hours to expose the most minute form of pre-existing condition so a patient can be dropped from their plan, and who are currently waging a war against the middle class of the United States of America.
If you have a parent who you fear won't even make it to medicare, stand up and demand a public option.
If you live in fear of developing something that will require surgery when preventive care would spare you that, hold both political parties accountable for the rest of your life.
If you want to trust the Republicans who took NO initiative in reforming health care in the times they held both the Executive and Legislative branches, do so at your own peril.
De-regulation was a major contributor to the financial meltdown, and it will be the harbinger of another crisis until you declare at the top of your lungs "ENOUGH!"
When are you going to attack Obama's deal with PhRMA?
I thought John Mackey's article was thought out and intelligent. Not seeing where it was a do nothing plan. He had 8 points of action, all of which would reduce overall cost of healthcare, and the savings from which would be able to provide more affordable healthcare plans for the poor.
This should not be a Republican\Democrat debate, and the unfortunate shills who are falling in line with this are not helping anyone. We need solutions, and I at least saw an effort here in the article to provide some.
No one has also in either party brought up what kind of costs would be reduced to the American taxpayer by removing the poor's use of emergency room services for regular doctor\patient care. We all see that reflected in the itemized cost of a hospital stay, $20 Tylenol anyone?
Government sponsored healthcare is horrible in Europe, don't get me started on my years in the UK. You're fine with a cold, but god forbid you need surgery, get in line and hope you have cash for a bribe or can fly to India or the US. And here, ask Veterans how they feel about the VA.
Folks you need to clue in. Fix the problems here, don't create more. Tackling why insurance costs are outrageous should be our driver, not having the government take over.
Go Chris! finally someone who can be objective. What I hate is when people claim they are liberal and tolerant - yet get so up in arms when they hear a different point of view. is that not on of the core of being a liberal? i guess not. I find actually true conservatives to be more 'tolerant' than the so called modern lib's
Funny….it seems you healthcare nuts have no faith in the free market. Health care companies will adapt, because they have to compete. Regulation of the health insurance industry has ALWAYS been a failure. The only aggressive regulation the government needs for the healthcare industry would be to keep a tight watch on anti-trust issues, and make costs transparent.
Healthcare isn't a right, plain and simple. It's a service you pay for, just like auto insurance, homeowners' insurance, and flood insurance. Water is even MORE vital to life than health insurance, but we don't clamor to socialize it.
I absolutely refuse to pay for someone else's healthcare. It's ethically wrong.
John's quote at the top hits it right on the money, "The trouble with socialism is that eventually you run out of other people's money"
Great statements!
I am a dentist and have seen how the government treats the medicaid patients. It is disgusting. In dentistry medicaid refuses most viable treatments and gives the patient the bare minimum for options. Often patients have to remove teeth that could otherwise be saved. Forcing a terrible quality of life. Also the doctors that are seeing the medicaid patients are usually the least qualified. This is what happens when doctors see no incentive to treat patients. This is what happens to doctors when they cannot treat a patient as they deem necessary. You will get under qualified doctors. Medical talent will dry up soon with a government run health care. Is this really what you are pushing for?
Health Care for America now? What is your real agenda?
I also hear that there is a possibility of a boycott of Whole Foods. Fair enough, for every bag of groceries you don't buy, I'll buy two.
AMEN! I love Whole Foods and I love it now more than ever - imagine that, a leader of a company who resides in the realm of reality and practical solutions, not campaign rhetoric and those "tingly" feelings. Imagine that, someone who has had EXPERIENCE actually enacting some ideas that have worked for real employees, rather than throw us all into an expensive national experiment that will eventually endanger our health by undermining research and availability of good doctors (members of the AMA who want their salaries set by a pay czar, please raise your hand. silence. i thought so). I am all for reform (and having to look for individual health insurance for my folks in the horribly government OVERregulated NYS insurance market, I have some ideas too). And there are many other ideas out there (that are being poo'd poo'd away by the Administration), but I will NOT throw my support behind a gussied up version of Hilarycare. NEW, PRACTICAL IDEAS PLEASE THAT WILL NOT BANKRUPT US.
PS. I think the call to boycott is ridiculous. This is Mackey's personal OPINION. The WSJ editors made the whole thing very contentious, but it was never meant to be the views of "Whole Foods", just Mackey's opinion based on the experience he has had managing employee matters of health insurance for his company. Mackey's original op-ed piece was simply titled "Health Care Reform", not "Whole Foods Alternative to Obamacare", which made it sound very "us vs. them". Read his blog: http://www2.wholefoodsmarket.com/blogs/jmackey/2009/08/14/health-care-reform-full-article/
So go ahead and protest. I spend something like $400/month at Whole Foods, consistently. It's the only place I shop, besides the Union Sq Greenmarket to support my tri-state farmers. I'll buy an extra bag!
Face it - the opposition to Mackey has another ax to grind. I suspect they want to ultimately unionize Whole Foods, Starbucks and other retailers who actually try to treat their hourly, retail customers decent and give them an alternative to the "public option". If they cannot villianize all retailers, like they did to Walmart, if some retailers are actually out there trying to be good public citizens and giving their workers a good choice, then there is no need for government takeover or union "protection"/corruption. One of the most vocal protestors of Mackey went on CNBC today bemoaning how Mackey was alienating his customers…when questioned further by the commentators over his motives, he said he wanted to see unionized labor at Whole Foods (despite the fact that surveys of WF workers show they DO NOT WANT a union). http://classic.cnbc.com/id/32553400
Call a spade a spade.
You guys praise the "free market" as if it's done such a great job in the last 60 years.
The free market has made a 400 per cent profit from denying people care and rasing rates.
From the looks of it the insurance companies are going to get their way.
And all you right wing talkers can be proud of 18000 deaths a year and more than 50 million uninsured.
There is no question that the system needs to be reformed. I have insurance companies telling me what I can and cannot charge everyday. I have insurance companies denying treatment to my patients everyday. Everyday I have an insurance specialist working full time to fight with the insurance companies to get paid. Everyday the insurance companies mislead my patients. Everyday I know how much money the insurance companies are making off interest by denying claims. Everyday I hate insurance companies. It is a pain in the %*!….
But let me tell you something… As a doctor It is harder getting money and co-operation from the government than any insurance company I have delt with. Go on medicaid and see how many doctors/dentists will give you quality treatment. Good luck.
And for this statement… "And all you right wing talkers can be proud of 18000 deaths a year and more than 50 million uninsured." That is moronic. Right wingers want change too. You will be just as responsible for those deaths if you cannot work with people outside your left wing box to find the right solution. Don't count on the government to solve this problem. Also that "free market" that you were bashing has been run by Democrats and Republicans alike. Like it or not your are a part of it. Rather than doing the same thing that has been going on… This back and forth Democrat / Republican nonsense do something different. The Republicans just did and it seems that not sitting back worked for them.
hey Paul- why don't you move to another country? You will quickly find that even though there are many flaws with our system, it is the best system out there.
You really need to at least travel and talk to the folks in other countries… you have been snowed by someone. really, you have, sorry to tell you.
The free market is a myth: even in the most recent history e.g. no bid contracts, fed bailout of banks, auto industry, etc.
The UK and Europe have exceptional private health care. But you have to have cash to pay for it. The difference btw the US and the UK and Europe is that the UK and Europe have 'medicare' for all citizens, not just the seniors.
Travel. Travel. Travel.
free market is a great economic model. Corporations are not free market however, they are national socialism.
If you all believe so fiercely that your national socialist version of free market is the best solution, let your pet corporations compete directly with that corrupt and bloated government you are always complaining about.
Or are you afraid of competition?
I have no problem with the government competing in the market so long as they have to adhere to all the same requirements, licensing, taxation, and market based conditions as their competitors and are not able to use legislative powers to provide them competitive advantage. So you want the government to compete, then we fund the initial capitalization of the organization after which it must work entirely outside the direct influance of government with no more control or influance by congress or the president than any other major stock holder would have in a private company. Since we funded the inital capitalization, it is only fair to expect dividends paid for this investment.
Just to clarify this means no tax payers dollars going to the organization beyond the initial investment, no tax exempt status, no required participation nor penalties for not doing so, no laws or regulations passed making it more difficult for private insurers to compete thus attempting to prop up the "public option", no use of eminate domain to obtain property, no denying medical or business licenses to doctors who will not take patients from this program.
So you want the government to compete, would you agree to all of the above?
Actually, the proposal on the table is almost exactly what you ask for. There would be initial startup costs, but afterwards, the public option would have to get by on what it takes in. It would have the same requirements for reserves and insurance regulations and private insurance. And it would be operated as an independent entity within HHS.
I don't think it would pay dividends, no, but this is a non-profit, just like other non-profit insurers out there, so that's not really a requirement because it already exists in the marketplace.
To: John Mackey
Re. Whole Foods Boycott
We, the undersigned have enjoyed your Ann Arbor Whole Foods stores for almost five years at a rate of about $6,000 per year.
We have sadly concluded that conscience requires us to join the boycott against your company. While you cite some very positive steps like tort reform and easing interstate insurance barriers, you have lent your voice to Wall Street Journal’s obstruction of the pending health reform legislation. Your ideas lend help to those who are employed, but do nothing for the many, many millions who have, or soon will have lost their jobs! They need help right now!
So we shall join the boycott of your company.
Agnes & Eugene Hannahs
Yep, I've boycotted my local Whole Foods as well.
YEP AND I'M SURE WF IS SUFFERING FROM THE LOSS OF YOUR WEEKLY $5.00 COOKIE PURCHASES!
JOHN MACKEY IS NOT A REPUBLICAN. HOWEVER THE REPUGS COULD LEARN A LOT ABOUT ATTRACTING ATTENTION AND GET HIM IN THE REPUG PARTY. HIS 8 RECOMMENDATIONS ARE GREAT AND A GOOD STARTING POINT FOR HEALTH CARE REFORM IN THE U.S. THE CONGRESS WILL CONTINUE ITS REDICULOUS DEBATES AND IN THE END THERE WON'T BE ANY HEALTH CARE CHANGE IN 2009 0R 2010, WHICH IS FINE WITH THE VAST MAJORITY OF AMERICAN VOTERS.