Straight Talk About Real Healthcare Reform... From a Business Man

John Mackey, the CEO of Whole Foods, has caught quite a bit of flack for his opposition to the Democratic Healthcare Reforms being positted in Congress. However, this successful business man has gone a step beyond opposing an obviously flawed policy. He's presented a viable alternative in his Wall Street Journal Op-Ed piece.

When you read about the changes he wants to make, it makes a lot of sense. His focus is to have reforms that are "financially responsible" and that all individuals "the freedom to choose docotors and health-care services that best suit our own unique set of lifestyle choices." This is not something we would get under the current Democratically authored legislation being bandied about in the legislative branch.

I think some of the issue the "progressives" have with Mackey's arguement is his correct assertion that healthcare is not a right. Here is a short quote.

"Many promoters of health-care reform believe that people have an intrinsic ethical right to health care—to equal access to doctors, medicines and hospitals. While all of us empathize with those who are sick, how can we say that all people have more of an intrinsic right to health care than they have to food or shelter?

Health care is a service that we all need, but just like food and shelter it is best provided through voluntary and mutually beneficial market exchanges. A careful reading of both the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution will not reveal any intrinsic right to health care, food or shelter. That’s because there isn’t any. This “right” has never existed in America."

Read the rest of the article for a good dose of reality from a succesful business man. Politicians could learn a thing or two from his real world ideas.

A Voice of Reason in the Health Care Debate

Doctor Vance Harris, quoted at CNN, brings up some very valid points about some of the issues with health care reform. The doctor points out the increasing difficulty of finding primary care physicians for the current crop of patients, a problem that would only be exacerbated by flooding doctor's offices with more individuals.

Dr. Harris points out that his real icome has gone down, even as his office saves hundreds of thousands of dollars by suggesting treatments other than the most invasive techniques. His educational contributions help patients monitor their own condition and curb the need for expensive treatments.

His point is that, in the healthcare reform debate, "No one is talking about [the growing lack of primary care physicians] on the national level." Instead, we have people yelling it's their 'right' to have high quality health care. High quality healthcare is kind of hard when there is expected to be a 39,000 primary care physician shortage by 2020.

This is What I'm Afraid Of!

One reason healthcare in the US is expensive is because America (and American companies) generate almost HALF of all medical innovations in the world. This includes new, life saving procedures as well as new prescription medications. Now, if Health Insurance Reform passes, with some sort of public option to "increase competition," where does that leave innovation?

Yeah, that's pretty much what I was afraid of.