John Goodman’s Commentaries
How to Help the Poor
If you are a high net worth individual you probably already know about it. A seminar on the subject at Manhattan’s Harvard Club attracted financial advisors to some of Americas richest dynasties – including the Pritzker and Soros families.
A Solution for Surprise Medical Bills
More than 4 in 10 patients who visit an emergency room or enter a hospital are confronted with bills for out-of-network services – even though the insurance company and the hospital led the patients to believe that their care would be in-network. In some cases, patients have faced charges that are many thousands of dollars. John Goodman’s solution: insurers and hospitals should not be able to claim the hospital is in the insurer’s network if that isn’t 100% true. Otherwise, its false and misleading advertising.
We Already Know What the Trump Health Plan Is
Some people can’t see the forest for the trees. For the past two years the Trump administration has been pushing the limits of executive authority to make fundamental changes in our health care system. If Congress would do its part, the system would be radically different than it was the day Donald Trump was elected president. John Goodman summarizes the most the most important of these changes.
A Health Plan for Donald Trump
President Donald Trump says he wants health reform that will be better than Obamacare, better than what we had before Obamacare, and better than the Democrats’ Medicare for All. And he’s not alone. Numerous surveys show that health reform remains a top priority for Americans, who are concerned about high costs, access, and choice.
Kamala Harris Has a Good Health-Care Idea
She proposes to abolish the ObamaCare exchanges—a signature Democratic accomplishment—and enroll participants in something resembling Medicare Advantage, a program expanded during the George W. Bush administration. That’s better than anything Ms. Harris’s Democratic rivals have proposed. It’s also better than many Republican reform ideas.
Goodman: Don’t Repeal the Cadillac Plan Tax; Replace It
This week, the House repealed the tax on expensive employer-provided health plans. The tax is favored by economists because otherwise, the tax law would be subsidizing health spending – no matter how wasteful. However, John Goodman says the only good that is done by the tax is done in a very crude and ineffective way. Congress should replace the tax, he says – giving employers and their employees the option of a tax credit instead.
Trump’s Radical Reform of Medicare, Part I
Donald Trump is using his executive authority far more aggressively than Obama ever did. He is not just circumventing Democrats. On health care, he is circumventing the entire GOP. Republicans in Congress, their special interest friends and think tank supporters have shown almost no enthusiasm for any of this. On the Hill, there have been no hearings. No legislation. No briefings. Not even a speech or two. In the meantime, the Trump administration is reforming the entire health care system. John Goodman and Lawrence Wedekind describe the changes in a two-part post at Forbes.
Trump’s Radical Reform of Medicare, Part II
Donald Trump is using his executive authority far more aggressively than Obama ever did. He is not just circumventing Democrats. On health care, he is circumventing the entire GOP. Republicans in Congress, their special interest friends and think tank supporters have shown almost no enthusiasm for any of this. On the Hill, there have been no hearings. No legislation. No briefings. Not even a speech or two. In the meantime, the Trump administration is reforming the entire health care system. John Goodman and Lawrence Wedekind describe the changes in a two-part post at Forbes.
A Win for the Goodman Institute
In an ideal world, most people would own their own health insurance and take it with them as they travel from job to job and in and out of the labor market. Some employers might have better insurance than people can find in the open market. But most employers would prefer to make a cash contribution to help employees pay their own premiums in lieu of providing insurance directly.
Goodman: Trump is unleashing personal and portable health insurance
An Obama regulation stipulated that employers caught giving their employees pre-tax dollars to purchase their own coverage could be fined as much as $100 per day for each employee, or $36,500 a year. This was the highest penalty in all of Obamacare regulations. Thankfully, the Trump administration is eliminating this penalty and much more. Beginning next January, employers will be able to use HRAs to help employees obtain their own coverage with the administration’s blessing.