Overview

In this long-awaited second edition of his groundbreaking work, Priceless: Curing the Healthcare Crisis, renowned healthcare economist John Goodman (“father” of Health Savings Accounts) analyzes America’s ongoing healthcare fiasco—including, for this edition, the extra damage Obamacare has inflicted on America’s healthcare system.  Goodman then provides what many critics of our healthcare system neglect: solutions. And not a moment too soon. Entangled in even more perverse incentives that raise costs, reduce quality, and make care less accessible, Americans are sicker and poorer than ever. But it’s not just patients that need liberation from this labyrinth of confusion—it’s doctors, businessmen, and institutions as well. The truth is, no one benefits in our current system.  Which means the time for change was yesterday. Read this new work and discover: How the absence of real prices for health insurance and medical care doesn’t solve but creates problems—especially under Obamacare  The perverse Obamacare incentives that cause insurance companies to avoid insuring patients with real health problems—and fail to encourage them to treatment even when they are insured Why having a preexisting condition is actually WORSE under Obamacare than it was before—despite rosy political promises to the contrary Why emergency-room traffic and long waits for care have actually increased under Obamacare The alarming shortcomings of Medicaid (and how it’s managed, thanks to Obamacare, to expand anyways) How the market for medical care COULD be as efficient and consumer-friendly as the market for cell phone repair…and what it would take to make that happen How to create centers of medical excellence designed to actually treat Americans (not exclude them, as is the current practice) And much, much more… Thoroughly researched, clearly written, and decidedly humane in its concern for the health of all Americans, John Goodman has written the healthcare book to read to understand today’s healthcare mess. His proposed solutions are bold, crucial, and most importantly, caring. Healthcare is complex. But this book isn’t. It’s clear, it’s satisfying, and it’s refreshingly human.  If you read even one book about healthcare policy in America, this—once again—is the one to read.

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9781598133950

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Reviews

""John Goodman's Priceless is a must-read, and accessible, guide to understanding what is needed for real reform in healthcare. It cuts right to the heart of the dilemma in healthcare--the absence of a meaningful price system--to suggest why the Affordable Care Act failed to curb the cost and access problems we face and explains how even 'priceless' goods benefit from markets."" --Bobbi Herzberg, distinguished senior fellow, F.A. Hayek Program for Advanced Study in Philosophy, Politics, and Economics, Mercatus Center at George Mason University ""In 2012, John Goodman's Priceless became the most comprehensive, readable overview of American healthcare then available. In 2024, John replicates that achievement with a second edition. As a market-oriented conservative, but not an ideologue, he often deviates from conventional right-of-center wisdom and expresses gratitude for criticism delivered by thoughtful voices on the left. After numerous liberal reviewers in 2012 proclaimed Priceless to be a must-read, I asked a top-tier Clinton/Obama advisor whether she could recommend a mirror-image book--a healthcare survey by a liberal scholar which conservatives ought to consider a must-read. She said that, to her regret, no liberal had produced such a work. That's still true, so in 2024, the second edition of Priceless stands as the single best introduction to American healthcare, regardless of whether one agrees or disagrees with John's philosophy."" --Robert F. Graboyes, economic consultant and publisher of Bastiat's Window, Substack ""John Goodman remains one of the clearest advocates for the value of markets, and not governments, in enabling better healthcare, and this book is a superb illustration of his talents. Although many Americans would be against an industry structure where they were mandated to purchase a product from a single monopoly, that's how health plans of most of the world are set up, including Medicare and Medicaid in the US. Goodman again brilliantly lays out many of the fundamental problems with such an industry structure and demonstrates why citizens would be better served by an industry with voluntary payments to competing plans."" --Tomas J. Philipson, Daniel Levin Professor of Public Policy Studies Emeritus, University of Chicago Harris School of Public Policy ""John Goodman, the 'father of Health Savings Accounts, ' has once again delivered a splendid economic analysis of American healthcare, which now accounts for almost one-fifth of the entire American economy. In this second edition of Priceless, he once again focuses on why Americans are paying so much for healthcare, and why we are still plagued with deficiencies in the quality of our care, gaps in coverage, and even worsening options for persons with preexisting medical conditions. Especially enlightening is Goodman's data-rich assessment of Obamacare, a massive Medicaid expansion combined with unprecedented federal regulatory control over private health insurance markets. While Obamacare did little to expand private insurance coverage, it accelerated cost increases for taxpayers and patients alike. Meanwhile, we have been trapped, Goodman argues, in a web of perverse incentives. America can break out of this trap only through patient power: giving patients control over their healthcare dollars and incentivizing medical professionals to play at the top of their game. Freedom works."" --Robert Moffit, senior research fellow, Center for Health and Welfare Policy, The Heritage Foundation ""Health economist John Goodman's Priceless tells us how to improve US healthcare by using prices. Prices work well in guiding our choices of food, haircuts, and cell phones. Goodman shows that the few areas in healthcare where consumers are faced with actual prices, such as LASIK, do well; prices have actually fallen and quality has improved. Why not, he asks, use that knowledge in the rest of the healthcare system? Read and learn."" --David R. Henderson, research fellow, Stanford University's Hoover Institution; and former senior economist for health policy with the President's Council of Economic Advisers

"""John Goodman's Priceless is a must-read, and accessible, guide to understanding what is needed for real reform in healthcare. It cuts right to the heart of the dilemma in healthcare--the absence of a meaningful price system--to suggest why the Affordable Care Act failed to curb the cost and access problems we face and explains how even 'priceless' goods benefit from markets."" --Bobbi Herzberg, distinguished senior fellow, F.A. Hayek Program for Advanced Study in Philosophy, Politics, and Economics, Mercatus Center at George Mason University ""In 2012, John Goodman's Priceless became the most comprehensive, readable overview of American healthcare then available. In 2024, John replicates that achievement with a second edition. As a market-oriented conservative, but not an ideologue, he often deviates from conventional right-of-center wisdom and expresses gratitude for criticism delivered by thoughtful voices on the left. After numerous liberal reviewers in 2012 proclaimed Priceless to be a must-read, I asked a top-tier Clinton/Obama advisor whether she could recommend a mirror-image book--a healthcare survey by a liberal scholar which conservatives ought to consider a must-read. She said that, to her regret, no liberal had produced such a work. That's still true, so in 2024, the second edition of Priceless stands as the single best introduction to American healthcare, regardless of whether one agrees or disagrees with John's philosophy."" --Robert F. Graboyes, economic consultant and publisher of Bastiat's Window, Substack ""John Goodman remains one of the clearest advocates for the value of markets, and not governments, in enabling better healthcare, and this book is a superb illustration of his talents. Although many Americans would be against an industry structure where they were mandated to purchase a product from a single monopoly, that's how health plans of most of the world are set up, including Medicare and Medicaid in the US. Goodman again brilliantly lays out many of the fundamental problems with such an industry structure and demonstrates why citizens would be better served by an industry with voluntary payments to competing plans."" --Tomas J. Philipson, Daniel Levin Professor of Public Policy Studies Emeritus, University of Chicago Harris School of Public Policy ""John Goodman, the 'father of Health Savings Accounts, ' has once again delivered a splendid economic analysis of American healthcare, which now accounts for almost one-fifth of the entire American economy. In this second edition of Priceless, he once again focuses on why Americans are paying so much for healthcare, and why we are still plagued with deficiencies in the quality of our care, gaps in coverage, and even worsening options for persons with preexisting medical conditions. Especially enlightening is Goodman's data-rich assessment of Obamacare, a massive Medicaid expansion combined with unprecedented federal regulatory control over private health insurance markets. While Obamacare did little to expand private insurance coverage, it accelerated cost increases for taxpayers and patients alike. Meanwhile, we have been trapped, Goodman argues, in a web of perverse incentives. America can break out of this trap only through patient power: giving patients control over their healthcare dollars and incentivizing medical professionals to play at the top of their game. Freedom works."" --Robert Moffit, senior research fellow, Center for Health and Welfare Policy, The Heritage Foundation ""Health economist John Goodman's Priceless tells us how to improve US healthcare by using prices. Prices work well in guiding our choices of food, haircuts, and cell phones. Goodman shows that the few areas in healthcare where consumers are faced with actual prices, such as LASIK, do well; prices have actually fallen and quality has improved. Why not, he asks, use that knowledge in the rest of the healthcare system? Read and learn."" --David R. Henderson, research fellow, Stanford University's Hoover Institution; and former senior economist for health policy with the President's Council of Economic Advisers"

Author Information

John C. Goodman, acclaimed as the ""father of Health Savings Accounts"" by The Wall Street Journal, is a leading health policy thinker. Author of nine influential books, including ""New Way to Care: Social Protections that Put Families First"", Goodman's work has significantly impacted health care reform. He frequently appears on television, contributes to major newspapers, and advises Congress on economic policy. Goodman holds a PhD in economics from Columbia University and has received the Duncan Black award for his contributions to public choice economics.

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