By using this site, you agree to the Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.
Accept
Health Works CollectiveHealth Works CollectiveHealth Works Collective
  • Health
    • Mental Health
    Health
    Healthcare organizations are operating on slimmer profit margins than ever. One report in August showed that they are even lower than the beginning of the…
    Show More
    Top News
    An Expert’s Guide To Building and Improving Endurance
    June 30, 2022
    medical assistants
    What Do Medical Assistants Do On a Day to Day Basis?
    April 5, 2022
    superfoods to help with prostate health
    10 Healthy Foods That Can Help Protect Your Prostate
    August 29, 2022
    Latest News
    5 Steps to a Promising Career as a Healthcare Administrator
    August 3, 2025
    Why Custom Telemedicine Apps Outperform Off‑the‑Shelf Solutions
    July 20, 2025
    How Probate Planning Shapes the Future of Your Estate and Family Care
    July 17, 2025
    Beyond Nutrition: Everyday Foods That Support Whole-Body Health
    June 15, 2025
  • Policy and Law
    • Global Healthcare
    • Medical Ethics
    Policy and Law
    Get the latest updates about Insurance policies and Laws in the Healthcare industry for different geographical locations.
    Show More
    Top News
    healthcare cost crisis
    What If the Health Care Cost Crisis Solves Itself?
    May 11, 2013
    Do You Need Life Insurance? What Does It Cover?
    December 23, 2022
    HIE metal plans
    The Four “Metal Plans” of Health Insurance Exchanges
    May 28, 2013
    Latest News
    How IT and Marketing Teams Can Collaborate to Protect Patient Trust
    July 17, 2025
    How Health Choices and Legal Actions Intersect After an Injury
    July 17, 2025
    How communities and healthcare providers can address slip and fall injuries with legal awareness
    July 17, 2025
    Let Your Lawyer Handle the Work Before You Pay Medical Costs
    July 6, 2025
  • Medical Innovations
  • News
  • Wellness
  • Tech
Search
© 2023 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
Reading: Gruber Cherry-Picks the Evidence for RomneyCare
Share
Notification Show More
Font ResizerAa
Health Works CollectiveHealth Works Collective
Font ResizerAa
Search
Follow US
  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy
© 2023 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
Health Works Collective > Policy & Law > Health Reform > Gruber Cherry-Picks the Evidence for RomneyCare
Health Reform

Gruber Cherry-Picks the Evidence for RomneyCare

JohnCGoodman
JohnCGoodman
Share
3 Min Read
SHARE

MIT economist Jonathan Gruber touts the Massachusetts health plan, which he helped create, in a paper for the National Bureau of Economic Research (the Washington Post provides a summary). So how objective can you be when you are grading your own work? Apparently not very.

MIT economist Jonathan Gruber touts the Massachusetts health plan, which he helped create, in a paper for the National Bureau of Economic Research (the Washington Post provides a summary). So how objective can you be when you are grading your own work? Apparently not very. In reviewing the literature, Gruber carefully cherry-picked positive data, while ignoring everything that didn’t fit the story he apparently wants to tell:

  • Gruber relies on an article in Health Affairs showing a slight increase in primary care visits, but neglects to inform readers that there had been no significant change in specialty care visits. And while using the study to imply that access to care has improved as a result of the reform, he neglects to mention that there has been no apparent change in self-reported unmet needs. Remarkably, one-third of adults within 300% of the federal poverty level report that they were unable to meet a health care need within the past 12 months for “any reason.”
  • He also fails to inform the reader that the same Health Affairs article shows no change in overall emergency room (ER) visits, but a statistically significant increase in ER traffic among those within 300% of the federal poverty level! This is consistent with a survey of 11 Massachusetts-area hospitals that found ER use rose four percent. Instead, Gruber cites an unpublished whitepaper claiming a modest reduction in ER use.
  • Gruber cites a Massachusetts Medical Society survey finding that average wait times to see physicians were basically unchanged. But he doesn’t say how long those wait times are: New patients must wait from a month to six weeks to see a family doctor or an internist. Make that two months in Boston for a family practitioner. Gruber also finds it too uninteresting to mention that the same survey found about half of all family doctors and internists won’t see new patients or accept the insurance provided in the Commonwealth Connector. This was up sharply from 2006.

Austin Frakt (who prides himself on faithfulness to the evidence) republished Gruber’s one-sided account without asking a single skeptical question. David Henderson was more critical, pointing out that Gruber was a paid consultant to the White House to help develop ObamaCare.

More Read

Employer-Sponsored Comprehensive Primary Care
Paying Bills: A Novel Idea in Southern Europe
Stop the Pilot Programs
What we should know about hospice fraud and whistleblower reward programm
Rural Recipients of Care Access Under ACA Stand to Benefit Greatly
TAGGED:healthcare reformMassachusetts health plan
Share This Article
Facebook Copy Link Print
Share

Stay Connected

1.5kFollowersLike
4.5kFollowersFollow
2.8kFollowersPin
136kSubscribersSubscribe

Latest News

technology in medical research
The Tools Helping Medical Researchers See the Full Picture
News Technology
August 3, 2025
5 Steps to a Promising Career as a Healthcare Administrator
5 Steps to a Promising Career as a Healthcare Administrator
Health
July 31, 2025
holistic dental
Holistic Dentist Services Are Natural and Safe
Dental health Specialties
July 28, 2025
botox certification
Help Improve People’s Skin Health Via Botox Certification
Skin Specialties
July 22, 2025

You Might also Like

Tell Your Story: 2013 Costs of Care Essay Contest Is Open!

September 13, 2013

Healthcare Emergency: Shortage of Nurses Will Impact Patient Care [INFOGRAPHIC]

August 12, 2013
playing-cards
Health Reform

Comprehensive Primary Care Plus – Medicare Doubles Down

April 30, 2016

Strong success: Massachusetts Health Reform at 5 Years

April 12, 2011
Subscribe
Subscribe to our newsletter to get our newest articles instantly!
Follow US
© 2008-2025 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy
Welcome Back!

Sign in to your account

Username or Email Address
Password

Lost your password?