Health Experts and Double Standards

WSJ ^ | JANUARY 14, 2010 | WSJ

[opentalk]

Jonathan Gruber, Peter Orszag and the press corps. The press corps is agonizing, or claims to be agonizing, over the news of Jonathan Gruber's conflict of interest: The MIT economist has been among the foremost promoters of ObamaCare—even as he had nearly $400,000 in consulting contracts with the Administration that weren't disclosed in the many stories in which he was cited as an independent authority.

Mr. Gruber is a health economist and former Clinton Treasury hand, as well an architect of Mitt Romney's 2006 health plan in Massachusetts that so closely resembles ObamaCare. His econometric health-care modelling is well-regarded. So his $297,600 plum from the Department of Health and Human Services in March for "technical assistance" estimating changes in insurance costs and coverage under ObamaCare, plus another $95,000 job, is at least defensible.

However, this financial relationship only came to wide notice when Mr. Gruber wrote a commentary for the New England Journal of Medicine, which has a more stringent disclosure policy than most media outlets. Last week the New York Times said it would have disclosed Mr. Gruber's financial ties had it known when it published one of his op-eds last year. Mr. Gruber told Politico's Ben Smith that "at no time have I publicly advocated a position that I did not firmly believe—indeed, I have been completely consistent with my academic track record."

[the anti-mahdi]

The MIT economist—FRAUDSTER—has been among the foremost promoters-CRIMINALS— of ObamaCare—even as he had nearly $400,000 in consulting contracts—BRIBES— with the Administration that weren’t disclosed in the many stories in which he was cited as an independent authority. Mr. Gruber is a health economist—MARXIST CRIMINAL— and former Clinton Treasury hand—THIEF—, as well an architect—CON-MAN— of Mitt Romney’s 2006 health plan in Massachusetts that so closely resembles ObamaCare. His econometric health-care modelling is well-regarded—AN EXISTENTIAL THREAT TO AMERICAN LIBERTY.
There, fixed it.

[opentalk]

thanks