The Goodman Institute for Public Policy Research is a non-partisan, public policy think tank that advocates for individual freedom, limited government, and free markets, especially as it regards tax, health care, and entitlement policy. ¹

While the Goodman Institute is non-partisan, members of its board and panel of experts have affiliations with both the Democratic and Republican Parties.

Activity

The Goodman Institute advocates for reforming the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and supports some of the revisions made to ACA regulations enacted during the Trump administration. The Goodman Institute claims that ACA regulations enacted under the Obama administration have had an adverse impact on the individual healthcare market, negatively affecting those who do not have access to employer-sponsored plans. The Institute states that those individuals will likely incur higher premiums, higher out-of-pocket costs, and limited access to doctors when shopping for healthcare through the ACA Marketplace. The Goodman Institute supports alternatives to the Marketplace, like short-term, limited-duration health plans and believes that regulations enacted during the Trump administration, which extend the limits on short-term plans, should be kept in place. ²

The Goodman Institute claims that the tax legislation enacted during the Trump administration was more progressive than the one it replaced and greatly benefited middle-income families. The Institute advocates for additional tax reform that will further unburden middle-income individuals and families. The Goodman Institute claims that tax provisions supporting unfair, anti-work, and anti-saving provisions need to be removed. The Institute advocates for removing the earning penalty imposed on Social Security recipients, mandatory withdrawal requirements placed on seniors and individuals with inherited IRAs, and a simple healthcare tax credit, until a complete separation of healthcare and taxes is possible. The Goodman Institute further claims that independent contractors are discriminated against under current tax law and should be afforded the same tax relief as individuals who work for someone else. ³

The Goodman Institute advocates for entitlement reform, especially concerning Social Security and Medicare programs. The Institute points out that both of these programs promise future benefits to be paid by future taxpayers, a pay-as-you-go financing plan. The Institute claims that the gap between promised future benefits and available taxes to pay those benefits continues to grow and that these two programs already have a combined unfunded liability of over $119 trillion. The Goodman Institute suggests that to eliminate the total unfunded liability, federal entitlement benefits would require a 40% permanent cut starting in 2023 to avoid a permanent 63% increase in all federal taxes. ⁴

Funding

The Goodman Institute for Public Policy Research is funded by donations from individuals, foundations, and corporations. While the Goodman Institute does not disclose donor information, tax filings show donations from the Job Creators Network Foundation ($50,000 in 2019),⁵ the Anschutz Foundation ($20,000 in 2018), ⁶ and the Armstrong Foundation ($20,000 in 2018). ⁷

People

Leadership

John C. Goodman is the president and CEO of the Goodman Institute for Public Policy Research and the so-called “father of Health Savings Accounts.” Goodman was the founder of the now-defunct National Center for Policy Analysis (NCPA) and formerly served as its president and CEO. ⁸ Goodman Serves on the board of trustees of the Chase Foundation of Virginia⁹ and is a senior fellow at the Independent Institute. ¹⁰

George Pond is the fundraising director at the Goodman Institute and an advancement officer for the Central Gulf Division of the NRA Ring of Freedom. ¹¹

Associated Experts

Ronald Bachman formerly worked with the George W. Bush Administration and the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) on developing the language and principles of the 2002 health reimbursement arrangements (HRA) guidelines. Bachman formerly consulted with the Health Care Financing Administration, the Congressional Budget Office, the Department of Labor, and the National Institute of Mental Health as a designated expert on actuarial issues. ¹²

John Baden is founder and chair of the Foundation for Research on Economics and the Environment. Baden formerly served on the National Petroleum Council and as president of the Association of Private Enterprise Education. ¹³

Sterling Burnett is the managing editor of the Heartland Institute’s Environment and Climate News monthly newspaper. Burnett formerly worked as a member of the Environment and Natural Resources Task Force in the Texas Comptroller’s e-Texas commission, as a senior fellow at the Texas Public Policy Foundation, and as an advisor for the Energy, Natural Resources and Agricultural Task Force at the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC). ¹⁴

Bill Conerly serves as the chair of the board of Cascade Policy Institute and formerly served as a member of former Governor John Kitzhaber’s (D-OR) Council of Economic Advisors. ¹⁵

Michael Cox is an adjunct scholar at the Cato Institute and a former chief economist and senior vice president at the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas. ¹⁶

Linda Gorman is the director of the Health Care Policy Center at the Independence Institute. ¹⁷

David Gratzer is a senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute for Policy Research and the Montreal Economic Institute. ¹⁸

Michael Helvacian formerly worked as an economist at the National Bureau of Economic Research. ¹⁹

David Henderson is a research fellow at the Hoover Institution. ²⁰

Glenn Hubbard is the director of the program on tax policy at the American Enterprise Institute and a research assistant at the National Bureau of Economic Research. Hubbard formerly served as chair of the U.S. Council of Economic Advisors during the George W. Bush Administration and as deputy assistant secretary for tax policy at the Department of the Treasury during the George H.W. Bush Administration. ²¹

Estelle James formerly worked as the lead economist at the World Bank and formerly served as a member of the President’s Commission to Strengthen Social Security. ²²

Laurence Kotlikoff is a research associate for the National Bureau of Economic Research and a fellow of the Econometric Society. Kotlikoff served as a senior economist for the President’s Council of Economic Advisers during the Reagan Administration. ²³

Robert Lawson formerly served as president of the Association of Private Enterprise Education. ²⁴

Dwight Lee is a research fellow at the Independent Institute. Lee formerly served as president of the Association of Private Enterprise Education and the Southern Economic Association. ²⁵

Robert Moffit is the director of the Center for Health Policy Studies at the Heritage Foundation. Moffit formerly served as the assistant director of congressional relations in the Office of Personnel Management and as the deputy assistant secretary of Department of Health and Human Services during the Reagan Administration. ²⁶

Richard Rahn is a senior fellow at the Cato Institute and chair of the Institute for Global Economic Growth. Rahn formerly served as vice president and chief economist at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, executive vice president of the National Chamber Foundation, and executive director of the American Council for Capital Formation. Rahn formerly served as a senior fellow at both the Hudson Institute and the Discovery Institute, as a visiting fellow at the Heritage Foundation, and as a national executive Director of the Ripon Society. ²⁷

David Ranson formerly served as an assistant to Nixon-Ford administration Secretary of the Treasury William E. Simon and to Nixon administration director of the Office of Management and Budget George P. Shultz (R). ²⁸

Andrew Rettenmaier is a research associate at the Private Enterprise Research Center. ²⁹

Thomas Saving is the director of the Private Enterprise Research Center. Saving formerly served as president of the Western Economics Association, the Southern Economics Association, and the Association of Private Enterprise Education. ³⁰

Greg Scandlen is the founder of Consumers for Health Care Choices. Scandlen formerly served as a fellow in health policy at the Cato Institute. ³¹

Scott Sumner is the chair of the monetary policy program at the Mercatus Center and a research fellow at the Independent Institute. ³²

Gail Wilensky is a senior fellow at Project HOPE and an advisor to both the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the Commonwealth Fund. Wilensky is the former chair of the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission and the Physician Payment Review Commission. Wilensky formerly served as deputy assistant of policy development during the George H.W. Bush administration. ³³

Linus Wright formerly served as superintendent of both the Dallas and Houston Independent School Districts and as chair of the Teacher Retirement System of Texas. Wright served as Under Secretary of Education for two years in the Reagan administration and was Reagan’s appointee to the Department of Education‘s Fund for the Improvement and Reform of Schools and Teaching. ³⁴

Board of Directors

Leigh Stephen Curry is the chair of the board and a former vice president at Merrill Lynch. ³⁵

Nan Hayworth is a former Republican member of the United States House of Representatives from New York. ³⁶

William R. Cooper is a member of the Urban Land Institute and the former chair of the Texas Governor’s Committee for Office Facilities. ³⁷

1. “Our Priorities.” Goodman Institute for Public Policy Research, 2021. Accessed July 4, 2021. https://www.goodmaninstitute.org/our-priorities-2021/.
2. Goodman, John. “With Obamacare Still on Books, Americans in Dire Need of Better Insurance Options.” Goodman Institute for Public Policy Research, June 17, 2021. Accessed July 4, 2021. https://www.goodmaninstitute.org/with-obamacare-still-on-books-americans-in-dire-need-of-better-insurance-options/.
3. Goodman, John. “Tax Reform for the Middle Class.” Goodman Institute for Public Policy Research, January 6, 2020. Accessed July 4, 2021. https://www.goodmaninstitute.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/BA-132-Tax-Reform-for-the-Middle-Class-with-Links.pdf.
4. “2021 First Quarter in Review.” Goodman Institute for Public Policy Research, 2021. Accessed July 4, 2021. https://www.goodmaninstitute.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/2021-1st-Quarter-in-Review.pdf.
5. Job Creators Network Foundation, Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990), 2019, Schedule I, Part II.
6. Anschutz Foundation, Return of Private Foundation (Form 990-PF), 2018, Part XV, Line 3a.
7. Armstrong Foundation, Return of Private Foundation (Form 990-PF), 2018, Part XV, Line 3a.
8. “Our History.” Goodman Institute for Public Policy Research, 2021. Accessed June 29, 2021. https://www.goodmaninstitute.org/history/.
9. The Chase Foundation of Virginia, Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990), 2018, Part VIII, Line 1.
10. John C. Goodman.” Independent Institute, 2021. Accessed July 2, 2021. https://www.independent.org/aboutus/person_detail.asp?id=1556.
11. “Staff Bios.” Goodman Institute for Public Policy Research, 2021. Accessed June 29, 2021. https://www.goodmaninstitute.org/staff-bios/.
12. “Ronald E. Bachman.” Goodman Institute for Public Policy Research, 2021. Accessed July 4, 2021. https://www.goodmaninstitute.org/experts/ronald-e-bachman/.
13. “John Baden.” Goodman Institute for Public Policy Research, 2021. Accessed July 4, 2021. https://www.goodmaninstitute.org/experts/john-baden/.
14. “H. Sterling Burnett.” Goodman Institute for Public Policy Research, 2021. Accessed July 4, 2021. https://www.goodmaninstitute.org/experts/h-sterling-burnett/.
15. “Bill Conerly.” Goodman Institute for Public Policy Research, 2021. Accessed July 4, 2021. https://www.goodmaninstitute.org/experts/bill-conerly/.
16. “Michael Cox.” Goodman Institute for Public Policy Research, 2021. Accessed July 4, 2021. https://www.goodmaninstitute.org/experts/michael-cox/.
17. “Linda Gorman.” Goodman Institute for Public Policy Research, 2021. Accessed July 4, 2021. https://www.goodmaninstitute.org/experts/linda-gorman/.
18. “David Gratzer.” Goodman Institute for Public Policy Research, 2021. Accessed July 4, 2021. https://www.goodmaninstitute.org/experts/david-gratzer/.
19. “Michael Helvacian.” Goodman Institute for Public Policy Research, 2021. Accessed July 4, 2021. https://www.goodmaninstitute.org/experts/n-michael-helvacian/.
20. “David Henderson.” Goodman Institute for Public Policy Research, 2021. Accessed July 4, 2021. https://www.goodmaninstitute.org/experts/david-henderson/.
21. “Glenn Hubbard.” Goodman Institute for Public Policy Research, 2021. Accessed July 4, 2021. https://www.goodmaninstitute.org/experts/glenn-hubbard/.
22. “Estelle James.” Goodman Institute for Public Policy Research, 2021. Accessed July 4, 2021. https://www.goodmaninstitute.org/experts/estelle-james/.
23. “Laurence J. Kotlikoff.” Goodman Institute for Public Policy Research, 2021. Accessed July 4, 2021. https://www.goodmaninstitute.org/experts/laurence-j-kotlikoff/.
24. “Robert Lawson.” Goodman Institute for Public Policy Research, 2021. Accessed July 4, 2021. https://www.goodmaninstitute.org/experts/robert-lawson/.
25. “Dwight Lee.” Goodman Institute for Public Policy Research, 2021. Accessed July 4, 2021. https://www.goodmaninstitute.org/experts/dwight-lee/.
26. “Robert Moffit.” Goodman Institute for Public Policy Research, 2021. Accessed July 4, 2021. https://www.goodmaninstitute.org/experts/robert-moffit/.
27. “Richard W. Rahn.” Goodman Institute for Public Policy Research, 2021. Accessed July 4, 2021. https://www.goodmaninstitute.org/experts/richard-w-rahn/.
28. “David Ranson.” Goodman Institute for Public Policy Research, 2021. Accessed July 4, 2021. https://www.goodmaninstitute.org/experts/r-david-ranson/.
29. “Andrew J. Rettenmaier.” Goodman Institute for Public Policy Research, 2021. Accessed July 4, 2021. https://www.goodmaninstitute.org/experts/andrew-j-rettenmaier/.
30. “Thomas R. Saving.” Goodman Institute for Public Policy Research, 2021. Accessed July 4, 2021. https://www.goodmaninstitute.org/experts/thomas-r-saving/.
31. “Greg Scandlen.” Goodman Institute for Public Policy Research, 2021. Accessed July 4, 2021. https://www.goodmaninstitute.org/experts/greg-scandlen/.
32. “Scott Sumner.” Mercatus Center at George Mason University, 2021. Accessed July 4, 2021. https://www.mercatus.org/scholars/scott-sumner.
33. “Gail Wilensky.” Goodman Institute for Public Policy Research, 2021. Accessed July 4, 2021. https://www.goodmaninstitute.org/experts/gail-wilensky/.
34. “Linus Wright Named to Teacher Retirement System Board.” NBC DFW, January 9, 2009. Accessed July 4, 2021. https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/business/linus-wright-named-to-teacher-retirement-system-board/1881912/.
35. “Leigh Curry.” LinkedIn, 2021. Accessed July 2, 2021. https://www.linkedin.com/in/leighcurry/.
36. “Board of Directors.” Goodman Institute for Public Policy Research, 2021. Accessed June 29, 2021. https://www.goodmaninstitute.org/board-of-directors/.
37. “William R. Cooper.” Goodman Institute for Public Policy Research, 2021. Accessed June 29, 2021. https://www.goodmaninstitute.org/william-r-cooper/.