The New York Times report (free registration required) that Cargill will contribute to farmers' Health Savings Accounts suggests a new outer ring in the rippling effects of health care in the economy. Under the arrangement, farmers who agree to supply Cargill can be compensated in part by getting dollars dropped into their HSAs. The grain behemoth sees it as another way to compensate the farmers and compete more effectively for their business. 
As the value of health care (and of its associated tax advantages) comes to be recognized as sometimes superior even to hard currency, it takes little imagination to see how the Cargill model could extend into other sectors of the economy. Indeed, the availability of flexible new insurance forms like HSAs are now revealed as additional bases through which suppliers and suppliees can get deals done. This new vector in bargaining could be especially important to small suppliers that have had difficulty securing and offering health benefits in traditional ways.
In all, a new, unifying tool. No more silos!
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