John Goodman’s Commentaries

Here’s a warning for Hillary Clinton, Bernie Sanders and Donald Trump. Before getting government more involved in controlling drug prices, take a close look at the mistakes that have already been made (and that are not being corrected) and the human suffering these mistakes are causing.

Inequality was the single most popular topic when economists gathered at their annual convention in San Francisco last month. But here is what everyone should know.

There are two things almost all health economists are in agreement about: (1) you cannot have successful reform of the health care system if you ignore the 150 million people who get health insurance through an employer and (2) the way we currently subsidize employer-provided health insurance is very wasteful and inefficient.

There are vast differences in the health of population groups in the United States. For example at the county level life expectancy for men ranges from a low of 65.9 years in Holmes County, Mississippi to a high of 81.1 years in Fairfax County, Virginia (a wealthy suburb of Washington, DC)—a difference of more than 15 years.

Republicans aren’t the only ones who want to repeal and replace ObamaCare. Count Bernie Sanders in as well.

Don’t take our word for it. You can try this out yourself. Just Google Surgery Center of Oklahoma and here is what you will find.

Imagine you are running a business and selling your product for a price that is three times higher than some of your rivals. Yet despite the price difference, you continue to sell all that you produce and make a fat profit in the process.

Congress did a big favor last week for about one third of seniors on Medicare, roughly two-thirds of low-income families on Medicaid, people who are getting insurance in the (Obamacare) exchanges and everyone else with private insurance – whether obtained at work or on their own.

The reason why the health care systems of developed countries are so dysfunctional is that most of the time patients are not spending their own money; they are spending someone else’s money.