Note to the Republicans, Addendum

I would also suggest that you walk the walk a little bit here and look to the private sector. John Mackey of Whole Foods, in particular, has put forth an outstanding health-care plan that just might be a template for the entire nation. The plan provides to his employees (at no cost to them) a high deductible ($2,500) policy, and then he supplements that with a $1,800 a year stipend deposited directly into a personal health savings account that accrues over time. The plan all but eliminates the middle-man (excepting of course for major illnesses) and it does so in a way that fosters competition and empowers the individual. If I were you folks, I would pick this fellow's brain until I could come up with something tangible for the whole (no pun intended) damned country.............................................................................................P.S. Just for the record here, there were some people who did complain about this new approach, and so Mr. Mackey ended up giving his employees a choice between what I just described above and the previous HMO model. 77% of the people opted to stay with the new approach.