Disappointed in Gruber comments on Obamacare
In the latest batch of letters to the editor, Obamacare and disturbing technological advances are at the top of mind.
After reading “Leveraging Your Value: how to negotiate narrow networks (June 10, 2016),” I have yet to wrap my head around the fact that you quoted Jonathan Gruber from MIT. As it appears, the author of the article and the Medical Economics editorial team have short-term memory issues and have forgotten who Jonathan Gruber is and what he has said about the passing of the ACA*. Let me refresh your memories.
Jonathan Gruber was one of the architects of Obamacare. In 2013, he discussed how the ACA came to pass by stating (and I am quoting from “The Hill”): “Lack of transparency is a huge political advantage. And basically, call it the stupidity of the American voter or whatever, but basically that was really, really critical for the thing to pass.”
He suggested voters would have rejected Obamacare if the penalties for going without health insurance were interpreted as taxes, either by budget analysts or the public. He went on to say: “If you had a law that made it explicit that healthy people are going to pay in and sick people are going to get subsidies, it would not have passed.”
The irony here is not that you quoted an “expert” who publicly referred to the American people as stupid, it’s that the very deceptive law he helped craft is now in many respects responsible for the narrow networks that your article discusses! Amazing.
I’ve been reading Medical Economics for many years and I find it a helpful, informative publication. This article lost all credibility with the Gruber quote and I ask that in future issues, please carefully screen your subject matter experts rather than banking on the short term memory of your customers.
Joseph Badolato, DO
Camas, Washinton
*Editor’s note: Jonathan Gruber apologized for his November 2014 comments.
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