US Election 2012: Former Mitt Romney healthcare expert accuses him of hypocrisy We literally saved people's lives in Massachusetts. What more can you ask for as a politician or a public policy professional? That Governor Romney would not want those benefits extended to the nation as a whole is extremely disappointing," he told the Daily Telegraph. "The fundamental hypocrisy of his position - the way he's trying to square this circle - is by saying it's all about state's rights," Mr Gruber said. The Republican frontrunner's own plan allows for insurance companies to sell across state lines, a policy that critics claim would force all states to honour weak regulations created by insurer-friendly state governments. Mr Gruber openly admits to being a supporter of Mr Obama and featured in a video released by the President's campaign today attacking Mr Romney's plan. The Obama campaign gleefully seized on the fact that the former governor personally thanked Mr Gruber for his work during the 2006 signing ceremony. Andrea Saul, a Romney spokeswoman, played down the economist's role in the Massachusetts reforms. She said in an email to the Telegraph: "Jonathan Gruber was not on the Governor's staff, nor was he at the decision-making table in the Governor's office. A great many people were consulted on healthcare reform who were thanked for the roles they played - Jonathan Gruber ran an econometric model for the [Massachusetts House of Representatives]. Mr Romney later appointed Mr Gruber to the board of the agency tasked with implementing his reforms. "They are not even pretending to be honest," Mr Gruber said. To say that I only worked with the House is a blatant lie. In his official portrait as governor, Mr Romney is seen with a copy of his healthcare reform law next to a photograph of his wife Ann, a sign that he saw it as at the heart of his political legacy. But during his party's primary he rarely spoke about it, and often took fire from his Republican rivals, with Rick Santorum at one point saying it made him "the worst Republican" to take on Mr Obama. While Mr Romney has vowed to repeal 'Obamacare' if elected, the issue may be settled by the Supreme Court as early as June, when justices are expected to rule on whether the sweeping reforms violate the US Constitution.