Peter Suderman on Why Jonathan Gruber Is Very Much An Obamacare "Architect"

In the space of a week, Jonathan Gruber has become a non-person in Washington. Until last Monday, the MIT health economist was widely and uncontroversially cited as an "architect" of the Affordable Care Act, a go-to expert about the law's politics and mechanics.

But after multiple videos surfaced in which Gruber said or implied that the bill's backers relied on deception and an assumption of voter stupidity in order to pass it, Obamacare's backers moved swiftly to distance themselves from Gruber and downplay his role in the creation of the law. 

The reactions from Obama, Nancy Pelosi, and others were, for the most part, technically true—but nonetheless misleading about Gruber's influence on the law. At a minimum, they were not fully transparent about his role. In attempting to downplay Gruber's remarks, writes Reason Senior Editor Peter Suderman, Obamacare's supporters instead proved him right.