Critics of the governor’s health care reform plans seized on the impolitic remarks of MIT economist Jonathan Gruber on Monday, urging the Shumlin administration to terminate his contract with the state.
The policy advocacy group Campaign for Vermont has started a petition demanding that Gruber’s $400,000 economic modeling contract for the state’s planned single-payer program be revoked.
The petition had 95 signatures as of 2:30 p.m. Monday.
A group of state lawmakers also called for Gruber’s ouster Monday. Republican Reps. Heidi Scheuermann of Stowe, Patti Komline of Dorset and Kurt Wright of Burlington wrote a letter to Gov. Peter Shumlin requesting the same.
“To continue to employ an individual who brags about duping the public, referring to the stupidity of the American voter and the need for a lack of transparency, is unconscionable.” Wright said in a statement. “How can we be assured he isn’t using the same strategy here in Vermont?”
At a health economics conference in 2013, Gruber said on videotape: “Lack of transparency is a huge political advantage, and basically, you know, call it the stupidity of the American voter or whatever, but basically that was really, really critical to getting the thing to pass.”
Those and other remarks denigrating the public have recently attracted attention nationally and in Vermont, because of Gruber’s current contract with the state.
Gruber’s work is limited to economic modeling and analysis, state officials say. He will not develop the policy assumptions that underlie those models.
While they have decried Gruber’s remarks as “appalling and incredibly offensive,” they say they have no intention of ending his contract. He will complete his economic modeling of single-payer financing plans.
The plans are expected to be presented to lawmakers in January. Gruber’s contract expires in February.
