MIT Professor Who Wrote RomneyCare Says Mitt “Championed Individual Mandate” Overriding Concerns About Personal Freedom…
Toast.
(Jennifer Rubin) — It is “sad,” says MIT professor Jonathan Gruber, that presidential candidate Mitt Romney is running away from his Massachusetts health care plan, a plan that Gruber says “gave birth to one of the greatest pieces of social legislation in our history,” namely President Obama’s 2010 health-care reform legislation. Aside from Romney, Gruber is the man most responsible for the Massachusetts plan. And given how important the debate is over the ‘Cares — RomneyCare and ObamaCare, as they’re often dubbed — I decided to go to the man who perhaps knows more than anyone about the development of both.
In a candid phone interview, Gruber explained how RomneyCare came about, where he thinks the critics have it wrong and whether potential “defenses” against his own plan by the Republican 2012 frontrunner hold up to scrutiny.
Gruber says that by the time he met Obama in 2006, the Massachusetts plan had already passed. He recalls that coming out of the Clinton years, “when the government had money to spend,” states could apply for grants from the Health and Human Services Department to study how the states could expand health care coverage. He was contacted by the Massachusetts department, which had received such a grant, and worked on different “models” for health care reform. When Romney later entered office and wanted to work on health care reform, the same department called Gruber in, because, of course, he had done much of the work already.
Gruber tells me, “What I can tell you is that there was an active debate on the individual mandate.” He explains, “On one hand, Romney felt people were free-riding” on the health care system — that is, remaining uninsured but burdening the government health care system when they became sick or injured. On the other hand, Gruber says, was the “freedom” argument about the mandate. He says, “What I’d like to think carried the day was that I pointed out that without the mandate you would spend the same money and cover fewer people.”
Gruber says in the one face-to-face meeting he had with Romney, it was clear Romney had made the “final call.” Gruber tells me: “He was the champion of the plan. He really was the consummate management consultant.” And, Gruber says, the plan that passed and is now operating is not fundamentally different from the individual mandate plan that Romney “championed.” Gruber says, “The framework is basically the same.” Moreover, Romney understood that the bill would be a framework, with the details to be filled in later (e.g., the definition of “affordable” health care). “He said so at the signing ceremony,” Gruber recollects. So the notion that the plan was hijacked by the Democratic-controlled legislature is simply not so, he asserts.
HT: Brian
Posted by ZIP on Tuesday, March 29, 2011, at 3:16 pm | 
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Buh-Bye Rinosaurus Rex.
I still see a difference between state and federal government. But let’s make sure we get more Obama.
Why, oh why do I have a sinking feeling that sometime in the near future I’ll be seeing him and Huckleberry and Newt having a GOP “debate” in front of Air Force One at the Reagan Library?
Anyone so terrified of admitting his hair is grey is not someone with the courage to be President.
so long farewell auf wiedersehen goodbye.
By any other name socialized health care is still socialized health care. Check out England and Canada. Those that can afford to come to the USA for serious illnesses.
“gave birth to one of the greatest pieces of social legislation in our history,”
Well there Mr. Gruber McSmartypants, if it’s so great, then why the hell are there all those waivers?
And in that same quote, you just gave the #1 reason why we won’t vote for Romney.
So far every Republican potential candidate has some skeleton, or they are too controversial or they don’t have enouglh experience.
I syure hope they can come up with someone who can beat obama in 2012.
so pissed I can’t spell!
MN Jim,
Sorry, but no one will be able to out cheat Obama in 2012.
I have hope The Tea Party movement will cull RINOs like Huckabee, Romney and Newt in the primaries. While I will vote for whomever is the GOP nominee, Obama must be voted out at all costs, I’m hopeful we can make sure none of the three above make it.
How can ANYONE still call themselves a conservative and mitt supporter at the same time?
There is still plenty of time, obviously Mittens isn’t going to cut it, I am confident there will be a real candidate before the end of summer. There is no way this country will make it 4 more with O.
Muck Fitt!
Romney 2012!!!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XX1FomaZ5pQ
Buh-bye, Mittens.
I still can’t believe I sent this guy money in 2007 when he first entered the race. After a little reading, my mind was changed forever.
And I am still getting fund raising letters every week from his campaign.
Bye, RINO a-hole.
We do NOT want you, Mittens.
Please GO AWAY and quit trying to split the votes for real Conservative candidates.
I’d rather get someone elected to the White House who is half conservative than watch a true-blue Tea Party saint (or nutter) go down in the general election to O-whatshisname. Romney has alotta splainin’ to do, but I’m not going to burn him in effigy over this.
He tried, he failed, get out.
And take Newt with you.
Why doesn’t Gruber address the eight(8) areas of the MA law that Romney vetoed (and then the 85% Democrat legislature reversed)?
why doesn’t Gruber talk about the changes since Romney’s governorship? Why all the silence Mr. Gruber? Why no credit to the “Conservative” Heritage Foundation’s efforts on the plan? Mr. Gruber…. you are no republican, what are you in the first place?
The fearfulness by democrats and the White House of Mitt Romney is becoming laughable. Why try to discredit Romney who hasn’t been running from his efforts on healthcare as democrats run from the full story of Mitt’s efforts? Everywhere you look another Democrat tries to discredit Mitt. Too Much is……. like what Shakespeare, “me thinks ye protest too much”. Democrats your simply trying too hard to hurt a great candidate…….and it’s way too obvious!!
Mitt Romney does not need the DCrats or RCrats to discredit him, we can just go to the tape where Mitt has taken every possible position on every significant issue through out his shoddy career. That’s enough to pull the plug.
Question of the day; if Mitt had not been fortunate to be a TRUST FUND BABY could he have ever been elected to any office, anywhere?