Gingrich think tank's health industry clients draw scrutiny

The Washington Post and New York Times detail the lucrative business dealings between Gingrich's think tank, the Center for Health Transformation, and health care companies.

The Washington Post: Gingrich Think Tank Collected Millions From Health-Care Industry
A think tank founded by GOP presidential candidate Newt Gingrich collected at least $37 million over the past eight years from major health-care companies and industry groups, offering special access to the former House speaker and other perks, according to records and interviews. The Center for Health Transformation, which opened in 2003, brought in dues of as much as $200,000 per year from insurers and other health-care firms, offering some of them "access to Newt Gingrich" and "direct Newt interaction," according to promotional materials (Eggen, 11/17).

The New York Times: Gingrich Faces More Scrutiny Over Corporate Clients
On Thursday, Mr. Gingrich's spokesman confirmed that Gunderson was one of the paying clients of Mr. Gingrich's Center for Health Transformation, a health consulting firm whose other clients have included WellPoint, the American Hospital Association, and various other major health care concerns. His spokesman, R. C. Hammond, said the center has revenues of about $5 million a year. For a second day, Mr. Gingrich's campaign was at the uncomfortable intersection of his high-earning consultancies and his public policy positions (Rutenberg, 11/17).

Also in the news, health care economist Jonathan Gruber steps back from "harsh" comments he made Thursday about Mitt Romney and the Massachusetts health overhaul -

Boston Globe: Economist Says Romney 'Lying' Remark Too Harsh
Jonathan Gruber, the economist who was a key consultant on both the Massachusetts and national health care overhauls, said yesterday he went too far in an interview this week by saying Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney is "lying"' when he tries to draw sharp distinctions between the two laws. But he stood by his basic criticism that the former governor has been misleading in remarks trying to put distance between the substance of the national and Massachusetts overhauls (Mooney, 11/18).