Episode 163: How We Reformed State Government to Save Billions with Christin Deacon

The Paradocs Podcast with Eric Larson

It's easy to become despondent about controlling spending or eliminating waste through reform on government expenditures. We've all seen the headlines about the $1 million hammer or toilet seat and governments losing track of money. Also, with all the people who have been elected on the platform of 'transforming' government or making it efficient, there has been almost nothing but the exact opposite happen. It's why the joke about death and taxes not only funny but very true.

To make matters worse, imagine government getting involved in the purchase of a product that is incredibly expensive and wasteful - US health care. This is a recipe for budget overruns, poor health outcomes, and a bottomless pit of spending. The opportunities for wasteful spending is so great and the lobbyists to keep the gravy train of spending so powerful that tackling it at the state level seems hopeless.

Yet that is exactly what Christin Deacon did.

Reforming New Jersey's Health and Benefits Plan

Maybe it's because Christin Deacon didn't know any better but she looked at the amount of money being spent on New Jersey's health and benefits and actually thought she could find some meaningful savings for taxpayers. To her credit, she asked the questions that no one had asked and pursued solutions that no one had seriously tried before. Through her persistence, Deacon helped save New Jersey citizens over $500 million per year for years. Those billions of dollars have been used to fill other gaps in the state budget and most importantly, haven't been thrown away on poor contracts or inflated pricing.

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