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: 8/20/2009

No way, like John Mackey,will I give an opinion here. But,I have said this before, just because I'm registered Republican doesn't mean that health care cost and issues doesn't affect me. There isn't a "R" box to check off on a form and magically I'm taken to a different room in the doctors office where I get better, and more affordable, care.

SBCat

: 8/20/2009

we should pay more taxes then everyone can get free healthcare! sweden does it why can't we :D

SBGURL

I wonder : 8/20/2009

what else the author and those of her ilk would like for free? I'd like free steak at Holdrens please. I'm sorry but I'm not buying this medical tourism thing. People come HERE to get care, not the other way around. Benefits packages are not a luxury, they are part of an emloyees pay. People who choose to freelance, or not work at all, have to pay to be insured, just like theyhave to pay for groceries and to put gas in their cars. Put your hands back in your pockets Cheri. This is one American that doesn't want to pay for your hemmorhoid removal.

MCC

Healthcare : 8/20/2009

I agree MCC. The only issue is that her hemorrhoids will not be removed in time and it will develop into a polyp and perhaps even colon cancer before she gets in to see a doctor. But in all seriousness, health care is something that I do not mess with and I want to pay for the best doctors and care that I can possibly get. I don't want a government ran policy where most of the tax money will go to support the payroll for administrative costs vs doctors and nurses. England's government healthcare system employees over 1.5 MILLION people to run it. That is the 3rd largest work force, the first being The Red Army of China and the second being the Indian RailRoad... 2+2 equals 4, please do the math. Everything costs money... There are not 46 million Americans uninsured, there is only 6-10 million that cannot afford it. 12 million are illegal immigrants and the rest do not want to pay for insurance... Let's put the 12 million that cannot afford it on Medicare.

SBSHAWN

SBSHAWN and MCC : 8/20/2009

I think you two should put your money where your mouth is. Stop paying taxes and start paying out the mailmen, the police, the fire dept, even your kids teachers out of pocket. I mean, if health insurance is the same thing as a steak at holdrens, then the police force is like maytag repair men and public schools are chuck-e-cheese. If you have such a problem with this type of socialism then dont be all half-cocked about it, be real sucka.

tax payer

: 8/20/2009

My child attends a private school because the public school system cheats its teachers out of what they deserve to be paid since most of the funds are funneled to the super intendants and administrative B/S. The admin makes a lot of money for pushing paper just like the rest of the governmental agencies... Was Maytag bought by the government? I wasn't aware that the Maytag repair man worked for the government... If you are a happy taxpayer then more power to you but your money is going to Afghanistan and Pakistan and not to the real needy in this country..... And if it wasn't for the public donations to the Fire Dept, we wouldn't have any fire fighters since the state/government keeps cutting funds to such agencies. So keep on dreaming and keep on paying taxes for wars being fought all over the world... Why do you think they want to take over the health care???? It's because they need money not because they want to help us in anyway... Finally, if socialized health care is so great, then why are the politicians protected from it? Is it because their health is more important than ours?

SBSHAWN

: 8/20/2009

Yes, there are problems with our government, HUGE problems, this is true, and Im happy for you that you can send your kid to private school, but certainly you dont think that those who cant afford to send their kids to the same school as your kids shouldnt have an option? For whatever problem the system has its still a system that educates our children. This is a civilized western nation, we have already socialized education, the police force, the fire department, city maintenance, and parts of our healthcare system, why would we not have a fully available public option for health care? Its ok for all of us to pay for things like the upkeep of sidewalks salaries for fire fighters so our houses dont burn but its commie to have the health and welfare of the average citizen to be part of the same system? What is it you are afraid of exactly? And how are the politicians 'protected' from universal health care? I dont understand what you mean...

tax payer (unhappy)

America behind the rest of developed world : 8/20/2009

Here, here! That's a great article. American is the only developed nation in the world that doesn't offer universal health care to it's citizens. We are missing something–something for all individuals, and something for our country as a whole.

: 8/20/2009

My daughter attends a private school on a full scholarship due to the kindness of those that donate not those that are taxed. She is bi-lingual with straight A's and as an immigrant single mom I am very proud to know that she will one day pay back those that have helped her. I am also happy to know that she will not take from the tax payer to pay for her way of life. Americans are the most charitable than any other people and I am very fortunate to be here. PS. Read the bill. Members of the senate and congress, including the president will have their own private insurance. Ask your congressman (woman).

Whole Foods CEO : 8/22/2009

I don't agree with his stance on health care, but I will shop at Whole Foods to support our town and all of the new employees that have been hired. Also, FYI......this was a hot topic at farmers market this morning!

winter

: 8/22/2009

Thanks for the article. Wal-Mart increasingly sells organic produce, but when a Wal-Mart wanted to locate in Ventura, Das Williams and cohorts fought it. Would that he would stand up against Whole Foods, but I suspect he will be seen shopping there rather than join the national boycott Whole Foods movement. As for medical tourism, it's big. There was something on 60 Minutes on it last year, I think, on Thailand and India, as well as Costa Rica. I didn't know about Majorca. That's interesting and I'll search for it, soon needing to have some deferred dental work done. Those who say that health benefits are part of employment pay are right, but what was not said is that no taxes are paid on that pay. And that's really unfair for those self-employed or without employment health benefits. If the benefits are truly pay then they should be taxed.

self-employed and luckily healthy

: 8/22/2009

I would love to be able to get Medicare.

Critical Workforce

I would still shop there : 8/22/2009

without a problem I like whole foods. I dont mind the column as I go back on forth on the health care discussion some key points Cheri left out though: -medicare is going broke right now so is social security the taxes on those to are expected go up so the shell game can continue without them becoming insolvent. Some of the figures have been as high as another 35 cents or more out of every dollar earned -We between Bushs costs and now Obamas rescue are further increasing national debt, did anyone get it with the position our state is in? We cant afford everything we want and at a certain point how much can we tax ourselves before it just dosent work? -Medical Tourism is also quite popular among those in the European countries with many going to former eastern bloc countries. Now there is a possibility that health care if done right could save and co opt medicare and fix the system. However that probably wont happen if its a rushed through plan, why does it need to happen right away? Couldnt they take a year and come up with a model that addresses all the concerns? The possible costs to it at this point continue to be a moving target and until they can actually address what that will be and lay out several options for consideration why not hold off till they can get that.

no P in my ool

Right On, Cheri! : 8/23/2009

I totally agree with you this time! I'll pretty much avoid the place. Mackey's Op-Ed was disgusting: Health care is not a human right? Really? All "rights" are a matter of debate and consensus of the society. Health care as a "right" is certainly a sign of a caring and non-backward society that doesn't operate by some ridiculous neo-Darwinian standards of survival. And how nice of him to feel it's not a right considering that he's a multimillionaire. Oh, but that's right, he "WORKED for it"... unlike mere leeches on society who only make $50K or $100K per year but still find themselves subject to insurance company "death panels" or bankrupted by a variety of health problems. Whole Foods' union-busting history is also not the most endearing either. Thanks for bringing this to further attention, Cheri. Maybe if Mackey is gone from the WF board, I'll consider, but otherwise... Nope.

Joe Allegretti

health care : 8/23/2009

Very good article - thank you for writing it. I've given up talking to some of my knucklehead friends, who, by-the-way, have never traveled out of the country, about single payer, universal health care systems. I can only hope that there are enough of us progressives, as well as the crooks in Washington, to push this health care reform through. It doesn't sounds like there is a single payer clause, but hopefully the public option, will suffice. Everyone thinks "it won't happen to me". I pay for my own insurance but in March this will have to stop - I turn 60 years old and I can't afford the premium anymore.

health care : 8/23/2009

Not that it helped, but I wrote John Mackey a letter; I will no longer shop at Whole Foods; besides it's not me - very corporate and just too "cutsy" I still love Lazy Acres (even though it's owned by a corporation) and Lassens, and of course, the farmers market. We don't need no stinking Whole Foods.

health care and private schools : 8/23/2009

You people who have children that go to "private schools" - IT IS STILL SUBSIDIZED FROM THE GOVERNMENT; just as all religion is SUBSIDIZED. So stop kidding yourself. We are a quasi-socialized country, whether you like it or not. All roads are public, except on private property. If you love your insurance, keep it. I'll take socialized, single payer, universal health care any day - it's great! By-the-way, I've worked since I was 16; have always worked, I own my home in Santa Barbara, pay taxes, etc.

: 8/23/2009

Quality health care should be available to everyone. That benefits the entire of society. But free for all? No way. Free to those who cannot afford to pay and dollars for time in the office for those who can. The government (that means us!) should assist those who need it and NOT those who don't. This concept of being able to walk into a doctors office and get instant access to free medical care is nuts. The most simple and elegant solution is catastrophic/emergency medical care with high deductible paid for by the individual (or gov't if they can't afford it) and pay-as-you-go from a health savings account (subsidized as needed). Everybody wins, patients, doctors, may not so much the insurance industry. Too simple, I guess. Whole Foods? Don't dis the store, the board of directors and the employees for the idiocy of one jerk.

ginger1

It's "nuts," huh Ginger? : 8/23/2009

Try meeting some Britons or Frenchmen and talk to them about it if you think it's so insane. It all gets paid for one way or another; it's just a question of what you prioritize and think of as a public good that ultimately benefits everyone. For some people, there's no such thing as a "public good" apparently, and it's a shame, as Cheri points out, that the loud shrieks and absolute, verified, outright lies are threatening to drown out any reason in this whole "discussion."

Joe Allegretti

I Wonder, MCC : 8/23/2009

Will your views change when the swine flu hits with full impact, and the uninsured can't get treatment, continue to go to work sick, and spread those germs into your perfect well-insured life. Like it or not, we are a community of citizens, not just isolated self-absorbed individuals. We ALL have an impact on each other, and although you might not be moved to care about the rest of us out of principle, in reality you better care about what we are capable of spreading if left untreated.

izarradar

: 8/23/2009

I'll be darned if I can figure out why there should be ANY profit in insurance. The point was to spread the risk. If we went to single payer, we'd most effectively spread the risk. Health insurance should NOT be tied to employment. That's a left-over from WW II (read your history). I'm a self-employed libertarian without health insurance because it's unaffordable. (It's not that I choose not to afford it. It's that I can not afford it.) Allowing luck to determine whether productive citizens get ill and go bankrupt &/or die is stupid. Single payer is the only solution that makes sense.

Self-employed, hard-working local.

Medicare vs right to health care : 8/23/2009

Most people on Medicare have paid their whole working lives for this insurance. (Don't get me started about recent immigrants who get on Medicare for free). When you say something is a right that obligates providers to be slaves. Food stamps are given in measured amounts. The demand for health care is unlimited. There is a difference between wanting to help people get care, and saying that it is a right. This nation, already broke, is mortgaging its entire future on a spending spree.

corkyjon

What is a "Right" and what is not : 8/23/2009

Those that are castigating Mackey for stating the truth that healthcare is not a "right" should calm down a bit and consider the facts. The "rights" that people have, or should have, are the right to live, and if necessary, to defend themselves, the right to be free and the right to pursue what type of life will satisfy them without harming others. They have no "right" to require others to provide medical care anymore than they have a "right" to require others to house them, clothe them or feed them. Having said that, it IS true that a compassionate and civilized society will try to provide all of these things, including medical care, for those less fortunate members of the society. But a "right"? No way! corkyjon had it exactly correct when he wrote "There is a difference between wanting to help people get care, and saying that it is a right. This nation, already broke, is mortgaging its entire future on a spending spree."

Art

Good Health = Anti-Capitalism? : 8/23/2009

Cheri Rae, Yes. Thank you for articulating a conundrum that reminds of the Red Scare of the 50's, or the fear of shark attacks exascerbated by the film Jaws. It's lunacy to equate Capitalism's fall to Communism with providing affordable health care options for those who can't keep up with escalating costs with diminishing returns. Our Consititution guarantees the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness to all our citizenry. Aren't all three inextricably tied in with the bounty of good health?

Susannah Gordon

: 8/23/2009

amen.

Whole Foods CEO -- Stick to selling healthy groceries : 8/23/2009

I have always enjoyed the wide selection of organic and other healthy foods from Whole Foods. I've also enjoyed the "progressive feel" their stores exude. I thought they really cared about helping to improve the health of their customers. I was wrong! John MacKey, in his WSJ op-ed last week, jumped with both feet into a self-created quagmire. He claims that Americans have no constitutionally-guaranteed right to health care. He then goes on to tout his company's health care programs for its employees. He's fortunate -- as are his employees -- that their company provides a corporate version of universal health care, but then he turns around and denies the same right to others less fortunate -- who either do not have such well-providing jobs nor such a 'generous' employer. Mr. MacKey stepped off the deep-end with his ill-considered op-ed. He needs to stick to selling groceries, and leave health care decisions to those who know what they are talking about. He sure didn't! I'm going to have to think twice about abandoning Trader Joe's for a company with such a socially-unconscious leader who hoists himself and his company on their own petard.

The Petard

this cant be serious : 8/23/2009

people would actually boycott whole foods over this, are probably the same crowd that cares if their coffee is "fair trade" yet smokes pot recreationally without relating that to the 11,000 who have died in mexico the past few years due to drug violence. Well thats the governments fault is not a plausible excuse consumers bear some blame as well. And as for brain trust that tried to use the swine flu comparing give it a break people go to work when they are sick now thats people being irresponsible toward others.

R Galenti

Wake up call : 8/25/2009

Umm ... to the moron above who said "Benefits packages are not a luxury, they are part of an emloyees pay." WAKE UP!! You're obviously a government employee. Benefit packages are most definitely a luxury. A vast number of Americans don't have health care, and those who do pay a pretty penny for it. Only a government employee would think health benefits are not a luxury, and if that's the case, us tax payers are already paying the surgical bill to have your head removed from your ass.

Fed up with fat cats

its dead : 8/25/2009

with the new federal deficit numbers out today the universal health care plan is doa not saying that is good or bad just thats the fact

fin

Wake Up: : 8/26/2009

A vast number of Americans don't have health care? How many exactly? 10 million? 20 million? 20 percent? The majority? Remove your head from your own ass pal. I'm not a government employee, but every full time job I've held, and I've held several, came with a package of health benefits. Every time it was part of my pay. I'm a stay at home Dad right now and I DO pay a pretty penny... for my OWN benefits. I'm not interested in paying for yours. If you don't have a benefit package with your full time job, if you work, then you need to go back to school so maybe you can get a better job that affords you insurance like most of the rest of America.

MCC

: 8/27/2009

I choose to work for conservation projects that provide beauty and value to all citizens. Yet, I never had a job that paid benefits. I choose to do good for the world. Mean last poster......grrrrrr........

Health reform benefits the insured and uninsured alike. : 8/27/2009

MCC, you pay a pretty penny for your insurance because you pay as an individual, not part of a group that can negotiate better rates because they're spreading the risk across a bigger population. (If you really do buy individual insurance at all -- one suspects you actually piggyback onto your wife's employer-subsidized plan, but I digress.) The ultimate group rate, the maximum saving, comes by spreading the risk base as wide as possible. If we cover everyone in the country, we can simultaneously cover EVERYBODY, including those who can't currently afford coverage, and lower costs for EVERYBODY, including those who currently have coverage. And we can do it in a way that INCREASES consumer choice, by giving people a new public option to choose from if they can't find something they like better in the private market. That's the Obama plan, and you would benefit as much as anyone. (To say nothing of a reduced likelihood of flu and other health problems spreading to you from the uninsured, thus reducing your income.)

treedom

: 10/7/2009

My father is on medicare and does not receive excellent medical care. It is very limited and he still needs to carry supplemental insurance to cover what medicare doesn't cover and he pays for out of his retirement fund. American is NOT a country. And MCC, I agree with you. Too many Americans think the land of the free means everything should be given to you. Land of the free means you are free to make your life what you want it to be. If you want to be successful and get a job with benefits do it, if you want to be lazy and not work you're free to do that too but then you have to except the fact you won't have benefits. The people willing to go out and work hard for what they have shouldn't have to keep supporting the people that are too damn lazy to take care of themselves.

ace