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Priceless: Curing the Healthcare Crisis
A no-nonsense approach to health care, this book takes the Affordable Care Act to task and rejects Barack Obama’s vision. Arguing that the United States should create a market for sick people, in which health plans vigorously compete to solve the problems of diabetics, asthmatics, heart patients, cancer patients, and others with high expected health care costs, this book maintains that every example of a center of excellence—producing high-quality, low-cost care—originated from the supply side of the market, not the demand side. With practical advice on how typical employers can cut employee health costs in half, this handbook also examines a variety of health-related topics, including malpractice, insurance reform, and the institution of a privatized Medicare program.
392 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2012
24 people are currently reading
1870 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
June 16, 2021
"The Affordable Care Act and the health-policy industry are betting that new regulation, price controls, effectiveness panels, 'accountable care' organizations, and so on will force efficiency from the top down. And they plan to do this while maintaining the current regulatory structure and its protection for incumbent businesses, management, and employees."
"Well, let’s look at the historical record of this approach, the great examples in which industries, especially ones combining mass-market personal service and technology, have been led to dramatic cost reductions, painful reorganizations towards efficiency, improvements in quality, and quick dissemination of technical innovation, by regulatory pressure."
"i.e., let’s have a moment of silence. ... Government-imposed efficiency is, to put it charitably, a hope without historical precedent." - John Cochrane, "After the ACA"
John Goodman's Priceless clearly demonstrates how deregulation of the demand and supply sides of health care markets will bring much-needed sanity to them. Reading this book made me both hopeful and downcast about American health care policy.
I'm sad that innumerable time, money, and lives are lost due to voters being ignorant of basic economics and rationally ignorant about the quality and access they receive relative to other developed nations (see In Excellent Health). In the absence of rational irrationality, American health care would be significantly more liberalized and most of the present "crisis" would evaporate. What is scary and saddening is how the rampant misinformation and wishful thinking that brings about bureacracy-oriented legislation like the ACA will continue to cripple America's economy and inflict untold misery on its poorest citizens.
I am optimistic, however, about the eventuality of change. Yes, the economic literacy of voters typically declines when conditions worsen. For example, a black swan event (the Financial Crisis) combined with exploding health care costs that eroded living standards made the ACA a reality. Despite the stark inferiority of socialized medicine relative to private care, we may move further toward an inhumane government-managed mediocrity even as the ACA's failings become more apparent.
However, it is always darkest before the dawn. Someday a new Thatcher or Reagan will come along to enact the necessary reforms, most of which are handily tucked away in Priceless. Goodman provides voters and policymakers with a readily available map, and I'm hopeful that decades of suboptimal health care or impending national bankruptcy will be unnecessary for those in the driver's seats to stop and ask for directions. - June 2013
"Well, let’s look at the historical record of this approach, the great examples in which industries, especially ones combining mass-market personal service and technology, have been led to dramatic cost reductions, painful reorganizations towards efficiency, improvements in quality, and quick dissemination of technical innovation, by regulatory pressure."
"i.e., let’s have a moment of silence. ... Government-imposed efficiency is, to put it charitably, a hope without historical precedent." - John Cochrane, "After the ACA"
John Goodman's Priceless clearly demonstrates how deregulation of the demand and supply sides of health care markets will bring much-needed sanity to them. Reading this book made me both hopeful and downcast about American health care policy.
I'm sad that innumerable time, money, and lives are lost due to voters being ignorant of basic economics and rationally ignorant about the quality and access they receive relative to other developed nations (see In Excellent Health). In the absence of rational irrationality, American health care would be significantly more liberalized and most of the present "crisis" would evaporate. What is scary and saddening is how the rampant misinformation and wishful thinking that brings about bureacracy-oriented legislation like the ACA will continue to cripple America's economy and inflict untold misery on its poorest citizens.
I am optimistic, however, about the eventuality of change. Yes, the economic literacy of voters typically declines when conditions worsen. For example, a black swan event (the Financial Crisis) combined with exploding health care costs that eroded living standards made the ACA a reality. Despite the stark inferiority of socialized medicine relative to private care, we may move further toward an inhumane government-managed mediocrity even as the ACA's failings become more apparent.
However, it is always darkest before the dawn. Someday a new Thatcher or Reagan will come along to enact the necessary reforms, most of which are handily tucked away in Priceless. Goodman provides voters and policymakers with a readily available map, and I'm hopeful that decades of suboptimal health care or impending national bankruptcy will be unnecessary for those in the driver's seats to stop and ask for directions. - June 2013
July 13, 2012
An essential read if you want to understand why we are where we are in healthcare today and how to improve cost, afforability and access---all while leveraging what America does best: freedom of choice, innovation, compassion for those less well off.
July 30, 2015
This book addresses a number of issues related to health care in the U.S., and all of them received a detailed analysis. However, if I were to highlight what I found the most interesting, many would notice that it is one of the most basic; yet, it's an issue completely (or almost completely) addressed by the various solutions to the "health care crisis".....and the ACA is a fantastic example of this.
What's the issue? Bringing down the cost, or in the popular verbage "cost control", via increasing the supply of health care. His greatest contribution is in this area.....in my not-humble-enough opinion. He deftly untangles the current (pre-ACA) situation and how we can create incentives for consumers to find and producers to give the best solutions for supplying unmet health care needs.
Worthy of reading for anyone looking to understand how the current regulatory environment has destroyed, rather than creating, proper incentives for consumers and providers.
What's the issue? Bringing down the cost, or in the popular verbage "cost control", via increasing the supply of health care. His greatest contribution is in this area.....in my not-humble-enough opinion. He deftly untangles the current (pre-ACA) situation and how we can create incentives for consumers to find and producers to give the best solutions for supplying unmet health care needs.
Worthy of reading for anyone looking to understand how the current regulatory environment has destroyed, rather than creating, proper incentives for consumers and providers.
August 25, 2012
This is a really great resource for anyone seeking to better understand the problems that underly our health care system and how the Affordable Care Act - aka ObamaCare - only makes things worse. It is not necessarily a quick or easy read. It is complex and often technical but not such that engaged citizens can't read and understand it.
The basic premise, which is so critical, is that we need to return decision making to individuals, their families and their doctors. We need a patient centered system that reduces costs and incentivizes quality care instead of system that introduces perverse incentives while increasing demand without any effort to increase supply; that attempts to use bureaucracy in DC to impose cost controls and monitor quality.
This is not a "fun" book but it is incredibly important. I encourage anyone interested in health care policy and reform to read it.
The basic premise, which is so critical, is that we need to return decision making to individuals, their families and their doctors. We need a patient centered system that reduces costs and incentivizes quality care instead of system that introduces perverse incentives while increasing demand without any effort to increase supply; that attempts to use bureaucracy in DC to impose cost controls and monitor quality.
This is not a "fun" book but it is incredibly important. I encourage anyone interested in health care policy and reform to read it.
September 30, 2015
The best book on the healthcare crisis I have read. Offers some great solutions that would put the patient in the driver's seat of their care.
October 17, 2024
Healthcare solutions for the Healthcare Maze
Priceless offers a number of changes to the way healthcare is delivered that respects individual choice. This book would help politicians know how to make changes that would give individuals more options to use their money on better health services. Some of these ideas would reduce the high cost of government involvement in our lives. Mr Goodman has done a great deal of work examining a very complex system. This is a good place to start thinking of ways to make healthcare better.
Priceless offers a number of changes to the way healthcare is delivered that respects individual choice. This book would help politicians know how to make changes that would give individuals more options to use their money on better health services. Some of these ideas would reduce the high cost of government involvement in our lives. Mr Goodman has done a great deal of work examining a very complex system. This is a good place to start thinking of ways to make healthcare better.
August 7, 2025
An outstanding and remarkably thorough overview of the perverse incentives in the American healthcare system. A solid summary of market-oriented reforms that can empower patients and restore real prices in healthcare.
October 15, 2020
We need complete price transparency in healthcare. John C. Goodman, PhD also co-wrote the book Patient Oower.
April 11, 2016
The author is the darling of the right on health policy and has much to say about the problems of the ACA. Greater transparency, more competition, and catastrophic health insurance are what Goodman claims will improve the healthcare system. As the father of health savings accounts, Goodman believes that routine and preventive care should be paid through these accounts and health insurance should cover those truly unexpected and catastrophic events--the same way we manage and maintain our cars.
I think health savings accounts make sense but I am not sure that competition will cure all the problems in our massive health care system. An interesting take on an issue with some ideas that make sense.
I think health savings accounts make sense but I am not sure that competition will cure all the problems in our massive health care system. An interesting take on an issue with some ideas that make sense.
June 19, 2017
Overall, mildly thought provoking. More than a few of the references were newspaper articles, so take that as a sign of the the kind of research that went into this book. Hypes a lot of private sector innovations (some of which may turn out well). Definitely policy pushing rather than policy analysis.
November 26, 2012
Great resource for understanding the flaws of the healthcare system and broad suggestions for how to fix them. A few times I felt that some thoughts weren't completely laid out, but that might be because I didn't have pre-existing knowledge of healthcare policy upon which to build. Useful!
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January 9, 2013If you want to gain insight into healthcare financing and learn why Obamacare will fail, read this book.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews