John Mackey, CEO of Whole Foods, has an excellent article in the Wall Street Journal, in which he outlines several market-oriented changes that would substantially improve the quality of health care in America, multiply consumers’ options, and decrease health-care costs. Among other things, Mackey advocates the following:
- 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.
What these measures have in common is that they are steps toward respecting the rights of producers and consumers to act on their own judgment for their own sake. This—the recognition of individual rights—is the solution to any deficiencies in health care (as well as all other products and services). And Mr. Mackey is to be commended for grasping this fact and advocating such measures.
The leftists, of course, are spewing sound and fury about Mackey’s call to respect individual rights. They have even called for a boycott of Whole Foods. I will be shopping at Whole Foods more regularly in support of Mackey. I hope you will too.
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