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 August 12, 2009

Whole Foods CEO Urges Free-Market Health Reform

In an op-ed in today’s Wall Street Journal, Whole Foods Market Inc. CEO and Co-Founder John Mackey urged Congress and President Obama to consider several free-market alternatives to reforms being considered to overhaul America’s health system. His recommendations (many of which mirror those promoted by Heritage’s Center for Health Policy Studies) include:

– Remove the legal obstacles that slow the creation of high-deductible health insurance plans and health savings accounts (HSAs).

Equalize the tax laws so that employer-provided health insurance and individually owned health insurance have the same tax benefits.

– Repeal all state laws which prevent insurance companies from competing across state lines.

– Repeal government mandates regarding what insurance companies must cover.

– Enact tort reform to end the ruinous lawsuits that force doctors to pay insurance costs of hundreds of thousands of dollars per year.

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

– Enact Medicare reform.

– 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.

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Comments Author: Marguerite Higgins
  • donshrout
    Stop the ruinous lawsuites
    Put all gov. employes under the same plan that we will have

    These two things would have a tremendous effect on the final plan
  • jacklynd
    Your solution to the health care controversy is to make individuals and families the key decision makers in their health care?

    How do you do that if your insurance is unaffordable, unavailable, been denied, been cancelled? Ridiculous and unworthy. The system is bloated and purely profit driven. It is wrong.
  • Anner
    If you look at the suggestions that are being made, you'll have more options. Therefore if you are unhappy with your insurance you can choose another. Under our current system your only option is what your employer will supply. There is no individual choice. With more competition quality will increase and costs will go down. That's the benefit of capitalism.
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