Obamacare architect Jonathan Gruber is under fire again.
This time the MIT professor and health care consultant is accused of cheating Vermont out of thousands of dollars.
Gruber reportedly billed Vermont for up to 25 hours a day for his consulting.
Via On the Record:
WCAX reported:
Jonathan Gruber’s work for Vermont is done, but the controversy surrounding the health care consultant returned to the spotlight Monday after State Auditor Doug Hoffer released a memo indicating his time cards do not add up.
Gruber drew criticism for his role in national health care reform, which included big pay-days and comments about Americans stupidity — and there were also questions about the work he did for Vermont. The Massachusetts Institute of Technology economist’s computations led the Governor to conclude that Vermont would not be able to afford single-payer health care.
State Auditor Doug Hoffer began looking into Gruber’s contract at the request of two state lawmakers. He says Gruber’s invoices should have included more detail about the work he performed for Vermont. However, Hoffer says the larger concern is that the number of hours billed for Gruber’s sole research assistant strain credibility — 14 hours-a-day, seven days-a-week.
“The one that jumped out was pretty evident, was both of the first two invoices indicated a certain number of hours, both for Dr. Gruber and for the one, sole research assistant. And once I learned that there was only one individual, it became evident that it didn’t really square with what would be normal practice,” Hoffer said
Vermont amended its contract following coverage of his controversial remarks late last year, barring any further payment for Gruber’s time. However, Hoffer’s memo indicates the consultant still presented a bill for his time, and billed more for his assistant’s time than he paid.
