Obamacare architect Jonathan Gruber appeared today before the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee about the “stupid American voters” comment that is now haunting him and casting an even longer shadow on Obamacare.
“It’s never appropriate to try to make oneself seem more important or smarter by demeaning others. I knew better. I know better. I’m embarrassed, and I’m sorry,” said Mr. Gruber.
Gruber’s Full Statement:
From the Washington Times:
Mr. Issa played the clips on large TV screens in the hearing room prior to testimony.
In one, Mr. Gruber said the health care bill was written in a “tortured” way to ensure the Congressional Budget Office didn’t score the individual mandate as a tax, even though the U.S. Supreme Court ultimately upheld the mandate as constitutional under Congress’ taxing power.
“Lack of transparency is a huge political advantage,” Mr. Gruber said. “And basically, call it the stupidity of the American voter or whatever, but basically that was really, really critical to get the thing to pass.”
In his apologies, Mr. Gruber said the law is a landmark achievement that was debated thoroughly and transparently.
He also objected to the context of taped remarks in which he seems to suggest Obamacare subsidies should only flow to state-run exchanges.
A lawsuit before the Supreme Court makes that same argument and could seriously dent the health care law by cutting off assistance to customers who use the federally run exchange.
Mr. Gruber said he was speaking hypothetically about what would happen if the Obama administration, “for whatever reason, might not create a federal exchange.”
“If that were to occur, and only in that context, then the only way that states could guarantee that their citizens would receive tax credits would be to set up their own exchanges,” he told the committee.
He said his own behavior should not cloud the health overhaul’s progress in helping people gain insurance.
“I behaved badly, and I will have to live with that, but my own inexcusable arrogance is not a flaw in the Affordable Care Act,” Mr. Gruber said. “The ACA is a milestone accomplishment for our nation that already has provided millions of Americans with health insurance.”
1 comment