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Romney’s Health Care Consultant Says Mitt Is ‘Dishonest’ About Reform

MIT economist Jonathan Gruber claimed former Gov. Mitt Romney (R) is being “dishonest” when he says he didn’t have to raise taxes in order to pay for Massachusetts’ 2006 health care reform law. During an interview with MSNBC’s Al Sharpton Thursday night Gruber — who advised both Romney and President Obama on health reform — explained that Romney “didn’t have to raise taxes because the federal government picked up half the cost and because there was already a tax sitting around that Gov. Dukakis had put in that Romney just grabbed and rededicated for his purposes.” Watch it:

Indeed, the Massachusetts law is financed with federal funding and higher taxes on individuals who fail to purchase coverage and large businesses that didn’t offer insurance. The state also increased its cigarette tax and continued to rely on a safety net surcharge on insurers and hospitals.

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