And so the other day a really obnoxious Washington Post article comes from Kathleen Parker about health-care reform and what Whole Foods' CEO argued for. The reason that I'm writing this post is that I'm going to answer claims blow by blow.
more beneath the fold
"In an op-ed for the Wall Street Journal, Mackey not only insisted that personal responsibility and choice are preferable to bureaucratic dispensation of health benefits, he went so far as to assert that health care isn't a right, any more than food or shelter are."
So does Parker and her colleagues have no problem with people dying because they are poor? Are she and her friends okay with people dying because they can't afford the best care? That she would argue that people aren't entitled to basic healthcare sickens me.
I wonder what type of insurance she has. I would venture to guess that, much like the rest of the well-connected within the DC establishment, Parker doesn't really have to worry about healthcare. I'm sure that she probably has a PPO or another plan that pays decent benefits.
"He urged removing legal obstacles to allow creation of high-deductible health insurance plans and health savings accounts such as those that his employees enjoy."
So basically Parker wants everyone else (except for her and her colleagues) to sign up for what NYCeve refers to as "junk insurance". I would doubt that most Whole Foods employees would probably say that they "enjoy" their health insurance. I'm sure that they must "enjoy" the fact that they have to pay for all their expenses every year if they're well. I'm sure that those who are on medications and who have chronic conditions love spending thousands of dollars a year. And furthermore I'm sure that Whole Foods isn't advancing them the money that they would have spent if their employees had a regular plan.
snip
"Mackey's ideas aren't necessarily the only route, but they offer a path that is pro-market, pro-individual and pro-choice -- all concepts that are organic to America and, like spinach, good for you."
I'd love to ask Parker if she has such a policy. I wonder if she and her friends are all rushing to sign up for junk insurance. I highly doubt it, though, that they are rushing to sign up for a worthless plan like this that they want to force upon the rest of us "ordinary folks". I am sure that she probably likes the PPO that she gets from her employer.
I also don't buy how junk insurance benefits people. The only people who would benefit with such a plan are those who are very young, right out of college, and in very good health. Their visits to the doctor would amount to a small costs since they would only go for routine medical tests, annual physicals, and minor illnesses like sinus infections. Those who require monthly supplies of medication or who need specialist care would easily spend thousands. And on top of the expensive monthly payments would hurt those people the most.
And yet Parker considers such a plan to be like spinach and "good for you". But, as I said, I doubt that she's rushing to get this type of insurance. I can't believe that people would want a junk insurance plan like that.