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.
