MackeyCare Begins
Remember MackeyCare, Whole Foods CEO John Mackey’s steps to improve healthcare, which he outlined in a WSJ op ed last summer? Well now it’s taking shape, as the company introduces a new approach to encourage its 51,000 employees to lead healthy lifestyles.
Whole Foods will offer up to a 10% discount (on top of the 20% discount employees are already given at the market) to employees who
- don’t smoke
- have low blood pressure below 110/70
- have low cholesterol below 150, and
- have a BMI less than 24
It’s a voluntary program, and those who sign on receive free health screenings.
I quite like the idea. Apparently, so does Safeway, Kellogg, Dell, J&J, who all do something pretty similar. But not everyone does, as demonstrated by the outlash from groups like NAAFA who call the program discriminatory and urge a boycott of the stores.
