Federal Affordable Care Act consultant Jonathan Gruber, who said voter 'stupidity' was key for health law's passage, earned $340,000 helping Minnesota develop its health exchange.
Gruber, a Massachusetts Institute of Technology health economist, worked with Minnesota officials in 2011 and 2012 to help them develop the state's exchange, according to a state contract. The exchange, then in the planning stages, was launched last year as MNsure.
The Minnesota contract says that the state hired Gruber to analyze Minnesota health insurance, health coverage and "model the effect of policy options available to policy makers under the ACA related to exchanges." Gruber was a key adviser to President Obama as the 2010 federal law and had helped designed the Massachusetts health exchange more than a decade ago under then-Gov. Mitt Romney.
This week comments Gruber made at a 2013 conference resurfaced, providing new heat to the battle against the federal health care overhaul.
"Lack of transparency is a huge political advantage," Gruber said in a video taped panel discussion. "And basically, call it the 'stupidity of the American voter' or whatever, but basically that was really, really critical to getting the thing to pass."
"But I'd rather have this law than not," he said at the time.
Gruber has since apologized for his 'off the cuff' remarks. But was also recorded repeating the claim that American voters are 'stupid' in another 2013 video that has recently resurfaced.
The comments have re-ignited the fire against the federal health care system and its design.
Conservative columnist Cal Thomas said in a Fox News column that Gruber's comments, "can only be described as a smoking gun — meaning there is no way to spin his remarks as "out of context"" Business Insider headline its article about Gruber's comments, "One of the architects of Obamacare is becoming a nightmare for the White House."
White House spokesman Josh Earnest said he "vigorously" disagreed with Gruber's assessment that the health care law was less than transparent.
Minnesota Rep. Joe Hoppe, R-Chaska, said he had known that Gruber had done work for Minnesota at the time and said the comments that recently came to light were disappointing.
"If we're in the business of the end justifying the means and purposely writing legislation designed to obfuscate what's really going on in order to get something passed...I don't think anyone likes that idea," Hoppe said. "I think his comments should alarm anyone that's seen that video."
But, he said, he does not believe the Minnesota health exchange was designed lack transparency or take advantage of voter stupidity.
"This is not the exchange that I would have designed but I don't think it was purposely designed to be a wreck," said Hoppe, who was chair of the House Commerce and Regulatory Reform Committee in 2011
Bob Hume, Dayton's deputy chief of staff, said that the administration does not agree at all with Gruber's claims that the health law was not transparent and that voters are in any way stupid.
He noted that Gruber's report for the state is available online.
"His work was transparent in Minnesota," Hume said.
Updated
See Gruber's comments here:
