Prior to joining the Bridge team, Goetz served for nearly three years as director of government affairs for Permobil, a Swedish manufacturer of sophisticated power wheelchairs. In this role, he routinely collaborated with U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) officials, and maintains these relationships to this day. At Permobil, John led and grew the government affairs department, coordinating all activities related to government payers and federal and state legislative advocacy. During his tenure, he successfully led and coordinated major bipartisan legislative efforts to prevent millions in industry funding cuts.
Goetz then worked collaboratively with senior officials at CMS to ensure a permanent, stable funding solution – thereby providing business certainty for the firm. Following this achievement, he became a high-profile industry leader, speaking at national events and participating on various health policy panels. He ultimately represented Permobil on the boards of the National Coalition for Assistive and Rehab Technology (NCART), AA HomeCare, and several state associations.
Before joining Permobil, Goetz served as legislative liaison to Tennessee’s Medicaid agency, TennCare, serving as the liaison between the agency and the General Assembly. There, he advocated on behalf of the governor’s agenda, and provided policy counsel for the Long-Term Services and Supports (LTSS) division within TennCare. He also served as acting Public Information Officer (PIO) when the program faced major challenges due to federal litigation, thereby gaining notable experience explaining detailed health policy issues to the media and other key audiences.
Prior to TennCare, Goetz served as U.S. Senator Bob Corker’s legislative aide for health care policy. In addition to serving as a senior staff member for the Senate Special Committee on Aging, where Corker served as ranking member, Goetz worked on a number of provider and insurance issues to help assist Tennessee businesses navigate federal health policy. Significantly, he also provided policy guidance to Senator Corker surrounding the contentious implementation of President Obama’s Affordable Care Act (ACA).
Goetz earned a bachelor’s degree in political science and a master’s in public administration from the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga.
A Chattanooga native, John and his wife, Whitney, have two sons and reside in Johnson City.