Among the habits my family of origin likes to tease me and my husband about is our elaborate grocery trips. Because of all the allergies and food preferences in our little troop, it is not unusual for to spend every other weekend and about $150 a visit stocking up at Whole Foods Market.
Well, I was already going to write an editorial about an incident there concerning some pretty scary stuff in the produce department. (It involved drool, a watermelon, a three-year-old and how employees just let a guy buy the melon after all three interacted). Then came John Mackey's editorial in Tuesday's Wall Street Journal, where he gave all the reasons not to support the health care initiative (first hint: he calls it "Obamacare").
Mackey is the co-founder and current CEO of Whole Foods, and he really must have no idea who comprises his client base because his editorial is so off the mark. You can read it yourself at http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970204251404574342170072865070.html
There were several conclusions I drew from the editorial: one, if his people are paying a deductible of $2,500, then no wonder the stores are mostly staffed by young people; two, it also follows that many of them don't go to the doctor when they may need to do so, because who can afford it on what they make if the insurance doesn't kick in until they hit $2,500; and, three, I can only wonder what kind of insurance they do have, and what it does and does not cover.
It's bad enough that Mackey has swallowed the Republican/Libertarian party line about health care not being an "intrinsic right." (First of all, John, if you're going to bring up the Declaration of Independence, use the correct parlance — it's "unalienable right.") But then he compounds his already flawed argument with inflammatory remarks about how we're running out of money and won't have anything left after the baby boomers (like him!) are through their Medicaid stage. (Hint John: if medical costs weren't so horribly over-inflated because of businessmen who think like you, then maybe we wouldn't be running out of money.)
I also resent Mackey's idea that if you just make the "right choices" in regards to lifestyle, you won't get sick. (The implication being that one of those "right choices" would be shopping at his store.) Yes, Americans eat the wrong things and obesity often leads to health complications. But what about people like me? I'm not overweight, I eat a lot of vegetables, I've always been active (the kids and my jobs have seen to that) and yet I still got cancer when I was only 39. And I know other men and women in the same boat. Catastrophic illness, accidents, "acts of God," can happen to anyone, at any time — some people more likely than others, statistically speaking, but again — anyone at any time. Isn't that what health insurance should be there for?
As for letting the insurance companies and "individual customer preferences" decide who gets coverage for what, when I finish rolling on the floor laughing I can tell you all about the ways that insurance companies have routinely denied families the benefit of needed therapies for their children with developmental disabilities like autism. It's a battle that is still being fought, with minor victories — but only because of state laws like those in California (see http://articles.latimes.com/2009/mar/12/local/me-banks12).
(BTW, If you want to know why California is going bust financially, blame the fat-cat insurance company CEOs who refuse to pay for helping kids with special needs, forcing the state to foot the bill, while they continue to enjoy tax breaks funneled through by our beloved guv'nah.)
But I digress.
The whole (not Whole Foods) point is, we need to put our money where our hearts are. I'm not saying the health care initiative is perfect — far from it. But it's a step toward parity with the rest of the world, which takes far better care of its people than we do here. If you agree, I hope you will join me in boycotting Whole Foods and Wild Oats stores.
p.s. If you'd like to read an excellent, point-by-point refutation of Mackey's editorial, go to http://open.salon.com/blog/spittingkitty/2009/08/13/an_open_letter_to_whole_foods_ceo_john_mackey
p.p.s. If you need an alternative to WFM and live in the San Fernando Valley or surrounding area, I highly recommend Follow Your Heart. (They have an awesome restaurant, too.)
