Former Obamacare adviser Jonathan Gruber on Tuesday apologized to a House Oversight and Government Reform panel for his 2013 videotaped remarks stating that the health care law had passed, in part, because of the "stupidity of the American voter."
"In excerpts of these videos I am shown making a series of glib, thoughtless, and sometimes downright insulting comments," Gruber said. "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."
An economist, Gruber advised the Obama administration on structuring the health care law, although when his comments attracted attention earlier this month, President Obama referred to him as "some adviser who never worked on our staff." House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-California, added: "I don't know who he is."
In his testimony Tuesday, Gruber insisted he was not the architect of the health care law but merely ran simulation models to predict policy outcomes. He said the Affordable Care Act was passed with the proper debate, and in his comments was trying to make his role seem more important than it was.
"I will have to live with my own inexcusable arrogance," he said.
Lindsey Boerma
Lindsey Boerma is senior video producer for CBSNews.com.
Obamacare adviser sorry for making "insulting" comments about the law
By Lindsey Boerma
/ CBS News
Former Obamacare adviser Jonathan Gruber on Tuesday apologized to a House Oversight and Government Reform panel for his 2013 videotaped remarks stating that the health care law had passed, in part, because of the "stupidity of the American voter."
"In excerpts of these videos I am shown making a series of glib, thoughtless, and sometimes downright insulting comments," Gruber said. "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."
An economist, Gruber advised the Obama administration on structuring the health care law, although when his comments attracted attention earlier this month, President Obama referred to him as "some adviser who never worked on our staff." House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-California, added: "I don't know who he is."
In his testimony Tuesday, Gruber insisted he was not the architect of the health care law but merely ran simulation models to predict policy outcomes. He said the Affordable Care Act was passed with the proper debate, and in his comments was trying to make his role seem more important than it was.
"I will have to live with my own inexcusable arrogance," he said.
Lindsey Boerma is senior video producer for CBSNews.com.
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