Gruber's Grasp [the numbers don't add up]

The American Thinker ^ | March 16, 2015 | Jerome J. Schmitt

[Cincinatus' Wife]

.......Let’s update this script to 2015 to place in context Breitbart News’s revelations of built-in contract fraud at the heart of the Affordable Care Act.

......These outrageous fees ($500/hour) to Prof. Gruber are required by federal law because his software econometrics model of healthcare exchanges is specifically required for implementation -- not only for the Federal Government but also all the states attempting to set up their own “exchanges.” Prof. Gruber has circumvented competitive bidding and resultant cost-containment by claiming unique proprietary capabilities available nowhere else in the market. This law constituted carte-blanche for Prof. Gruber to write his own highly lucrative consulting contracts with the States....

.....Imagine if the FDA hired a medical panel to weigh the efficacy and cost-benefits of a new cancer drug, and they included on this august panel a member who owned the commercial rights to one of the drugs under consideration.....

....In satisfying the aforementioned bonanza in the demand for the statutory mandated purchase of Prof. Gruber’s consulting time, it appears he may have also double- or triple-billed his time. Almost all financial fraud arises from falsifying -- in some manner or another -- one of three types of primary commercial documents:....... 3) falsified timesheets submitted for compensation for employment or consulting hours....

..Professor Gruber took personal control of the aforementioned model, retailing it as “proprietary,” owned solely by consultant Gruber personally. This is corrupt for a number of reasons:...

...Vastly compounding his problem with overbilling his own time is the suspicion also reported by Breitbart that he has submitted $80,000 billings to the State of Vermont alone for phantom employees (research assistants). The suspicion is that he pocketed the money himself and never actually employed anyone. It is inconceivable that this severe accusation has not circulated in Cambridge and environs.....

[Cincinatus' Wife]

This article has a lot of meat on the bone.

And the lingering question - Why only"crickets" from institutions of higher learning - the elite halls of leftist academia that churn out these "studies" that direct public policy (and put coin in their pocket)?

[Gaffer]

I find it very difficult to believe that Gruber’s personally owned “proprietary” model ever got by the intellectual property czar at MIT. Universities are notorious for claiming IP rights on virtually everything their professors believe. My only conclusion from this is that MIT is staying away from it because there is a devil in the details of his contracts.

I’ve said it here a lot of times. Investigate all of his contracts in the context of hours and concurrence (simultaneous execution), and especially with respect to the amount of time he personally had during any period (of multiple overlapping contracts) to do the “hours” estimated in the awards.

Further, just because it is sole source, that doesn’t obviate the need for a comprehensive audit of the labor and skill levels of the actual hours expended. If I were the government auditor, I’d start by pulling all the time sheets for anyone under his control at MIT.

[Cincinatus' Wife]

Then someone is listening because your concerns are discussed in the article.

[generally]

There are simple statistical forensic tests that can be done on his billing records to find out whether he billed for work that was not really performed.

[john mirse]

.....These outrageous fees ($500/hour) to Prof. Gruber are required by federal law because his software econometrics model of healthcare exchanges is specifically required for implementation -- not only for the Federal Government but also all the states attempting to set up their own “exchanges.”

Prof. Gruber has circumvented competitive bidding and resultant cost-containment by claiming unique proprietary capabilities available nowhere else in the market. This law constituted carte-blanche for Prof. Gruber to write his own highly lucrative consulting contracts with the States....

******

Gruber and the upcoming Supreme Court ObamaCare decision in June: I bet that Gruber is sweating over this Supreme Court ObamaCare decision.

I bet that the so-called architect of ObamaCare, Gruber, prays everyday that the Supreme Court saves his a** by siding with Obama.

If, on the other hand, the Supreme Court decides AGAINST Obama, Gruber will be called a liar and live in ridicule and shame the rest of his life.

So, it looks like the upcoming Supreme Court ObamaCare decision in June will not only save ObamaCare if it agrees with Obama, but it will no doubt save Gruber's a**, too.

[Flick Lives]

If, on the other hand, the Supreme Court decides AGAINST Obama, Gruber will be called a liar and live in ridicule and shame the rest of his life.

You nailed it. Just as the Regime did with the Bengahzi attack, they need a scapegoat to blame for their misdeeds. Gruber will make a very nice scapegoat for Obamacare.

[PGalt]

http://economics.mit.edu/files/9877

[conservatism_IS_compassion]

Gruber will make a very nice scapegoat for Obamacare.

. . . or would, if not for the soundbites on the Internet from every Democrat from Obama on down praising Gruber.

If Gruber is to be scapegoated, it is a little late in the day to lay the groundwork. There will be commercials in which Obama morphs into Gruber and back. There sure are gonna be a lot of footprints in the paint on the floor when they try to leave the corner they’ve painted themselves into.

[Liz]

The more salient point is this: Gruber acting as an independent researcher for the US govt is one thing---but Gruber's consorting w/ ACA flackers in govt, figuring out ways to dupe the tax-paying public is a CONSPIRACY.

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BREIRBART: Vastly compounding Gruber's problem with overbilling his own time as a consutant........ is the suspicion that he submitted $80,000 billings to the State of Vermont alone for phantom employees ( termed his "research assistants"). The suspicion is that he pocketed the money and never actually employed anyone.

AS FREEPER GAFFER INSIGHTFULLY POSTED---there is a fixed cost for the “program model” Gruber uses and likely some sort of licensing fee. However, some of these contracts have “consulting” components which usually involve estimates of time needed. There are only about 1900-2000 work hours per year in normal situations.

Coupled with the paycheck he gets as a day-to-day MIT professor, where did Gruber get the time to work all these contracts?

<><> How were Gruber's contracts bid?

<><> What was the pricing structure.

<><> Did he falsify his work schedule?

<><> Was he working on simultaneous govt contracts, and getting paid as a "full-time" consultant?

The WH can give out contracts however they want (e.g., sole source), but the contract eventually has to go through some sort of award audit for review and approval......

[Liz]

Pelosi was right when she said O/care was a "jobs bill." Except that Gruber got all the jobs.

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Obamacare architect Jonathan Gruber hired himself out as a "healthcare consultant" to help states configure their mandated healthcare coverage....

Gruber billed the State of Vermont for hours that “were impossible to accomplish--he billed out 500 hours a month for his research assistants but an auditor found that he only had one research assistant....the auditor even criticized the state's Democrat admin---eople who were supposed to be overseeing Gruber's contract did not demand any details---they just asked for summary bills and then they paid them without question....

This is potentially a federal crime w/ federal penalties and requres the involvement of the US Attorney....b/c federal tax dollars were involved and govt fraud must be considered.

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BACKSTORY---MICHIGAN WARY OF GRUBER

MICHIGAN Rep.-elect Gary Glenn, R-Midland, said he will formally request Monday that the state House of Representatives Research Services Division investigate why Michigan’s payment was more than what Wisconsin ($400,000), Vermont ($400,000) and Minnesota ($329,000) paid.

Glenn will request that State Rep. Tom McMillin, R-Rochester Hills, chairman of the House Government Oversight Committee, and State Rep. Matt Lori, R-Constantine, chairman of the House Appropriations subcommittee, investigate the state’s deal with Gruber.

Rep. McMillin said he’d ask the Department of Community Health how Gruber was selected and what services he provided for the money.

“Mr. Gruber appears to be a very devious man – perhaps with a proclivity for fraud,” Rep. McMillin said in an email. “Based on the info I receive, I’ll decide if a hearing is warranted.”

Just one of the scams perpetrated on state taxpayers. Money-laundering, conspiracy and massive govt fraud should be considered. Read on.

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The connivers passed O/Care w/ a massive, multi-billion-dollar slush fund that was deliberately kept hidden from us "stupid taxpayers" by self-serving Grubercrats.

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The Untraceable $8 Billion ObamaCare PR Budget---truly govt fraud at its finest. Egged on by Pelosi, Democrats slavishly voted for Obamacare by an historic straignt-party line vote. But not one Democrat told Americans about Obamacare's Section 4002---which mandates an $8B untraceable fund to "promote" Obamacare (apparently b/c Boobamba had so little confidence in his signature legislation).

THE PAYOFF--WHO GETS THE MONEY? In 2010 Taxpayers are extorted $500 million, in 2011, $750 million, 2012, $1 billion, 2013, $1.25 billion, 2014, $1.5 billion, and, in 2015 and on, $2 billion

<><> Where is all that money going?

<><> Was cashing-in the incentive in getting the thing passed?

The sound of West Wing wire-transfers to states and to offshore banks is almost palpable.