Guess where the VA got the bad health care cost projections?

[barbaraann]

In April, Sec. Nicholson was saying the VA had enough money for veterans' health care. Now, two months, later they are off by over a billion dollars. Sec. Nicholson said yesterday that the VA contracted with an outside firm five years ago (hmmm) to provide information for budgeting. (He was incredibly nervous and looked very stressed. The video is on c-span.)

Well, a company named Acumen LLC has a contract with the VA to provide such information. Here's their blurb from their website:

"Acumen, LLC was established by scholars from Stanford University in 1996 to improve the information provided to policymakers who design and revise welfare, health, education, labor, and business programs at the national, state, and local levels. In conjunction with its affiliated nonprofit firm, the SPHERE Institute, Acumen offers practitioners a powerful policy analysis capability, providing specific, impartial advice and context for policy debates."

http://www.acumen-llc.com/index.html

Their clients:
http://www.acumen-llc.com/clients.html

Condi Rice was Provost of Stanford (1993-99) when this company was formed.

I wonder if this contract was pure corruption or something even worse. :-(

[Spinzonner]

1. Or maybe the Hoover Institution

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hoover_Institution

[barbaraann]

2. Is the Hoover Instition the West Coast version of Skull and Bones?

n/t