Some of the most controversial components of Mackey's article include his quote from Margaret Thatcher about socialism that comes before the article's text and his calls for expanding the influence of insurance companies, repealing government mandates that require that insurance companies cover certain kinds of treatments and diseases regardless of cost, and his call for reforming Medicare.

Specifically, Mackey quoted Thatcher as saying "The problem with socialism is that eventually you run out of other people's money." Critics of Mackey claim that quote draws a direct relationship between any kind of health-care overhaul in the U.S and the term "socialism" which in turn derails thoughtful debate because many simply fear the term.

With respect to expanding the influence of insurance companies, Mackey said that lawmakers should "Repeal all state laws which prevent insurance companies from competing across state lines." Critics say that such a repeal would likely lead to there being fewer insurance carrier options which would in turn lead to higher premiums and reduced quality of care.

Of particular concern by critics and those pushing for a Whole Foods boycott were Mackey's statements regarding repealing care-covering mandates and reforming Medicare. Mackey said that lawmakers should "Repeal government mandates regarding what insurance companies must cover." To that he added, "These mandates have increased the cost of health insurance by billions of dollars. What is insured and what is not insured should be determined by individual customer preferences and not through special-interest lobbying." Critics contend that these mandates serve as critical safety nets for consumers given wide-spread reports of individuals being dropped from insurance plans after being diagnosed with diseases like cancer which can cost hundreds of thousands of dollars to treat.

About Medicare Mackey said that the country needs to "Enact Medicare reform" and said that, "We need to face up to the actuarial fact that Medicare is heading towards bankruptcy and enact reforms that create greater patient empowerment, choice and responsibility." Critics contend that calls for Medicare reform at a time of health care debate amount to an attempt to derail the debate about expanding health care options and note that in general, most Medicare recipients report being satisfied with the program.

While several groups are pushing for a Whole Foods boycott including the groups Single Payer Action and Sproutpeople, perhaps the best evidence that the movement is gaining strength comes from the Facebook page "Boycott Whole Foods". On August 13th the group included 450 members. By 10pm on Sunday August 16th, the number of individuals who had signed up to support the boycott was 10,003.

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