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Health Reform: An Online Guide
Slate (USA) - Wednesday, June 10, 2009
Author: Timothy Noah
EXCERPT
Jonathan Gruber . Links to the MIT economist’s op-eds on health reform.
Caveat emptor: In early January Politico revealed that Gruber received $297,600 the previous June from the health and human services department to assess various health reform proposals. (Click here for the documentation.) This brought mild embarrassment to journalists Jon Cohn of the New Republic and Ronald Brownstein of the Atlantic, both of whom have relied on Gruber heavily yet were unaware of his financial ties to the Obama administration. (Add me to the list of those who were somewhat less embarrassed because we’d relied on Gruber somewhat less; henceforth I will try to flag Gruber’s financial ties whenever I quote him.) Gruber’s priorities have long been in pretty obvious alignment with the Obama administration’s, but for what it’s worth my sense is that the influence runs from Gruber to the White House rather than the other way around. In at least one instance (his misplaced enthusiasm for the excise tax on “ Cadillac “ health plans) that influence has contributed to bad policy. Overall, it’s fair to say that Gruber is a cheerleader for health reform, and that his economic reasoning is likely influenced by his political preferences. That said, Gruber remains respected by his academic peers as a leading expert on the economics of health care.
Click here for his paper (revised Nov. 27) arguing that, contrary to a health insurance industry study (and a later CBO study), the “blended” Senate bill would lower health premiums in the non-group market. Click here for his analysis of the tax on “ Cadillac “ health plans, which he argues will raise wages. Click here for his Nov. 2 testimony before the Senate health committee arguing that health reform would help small businesses.
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