Democratic Party of Georgia

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GA Republican Tom Price: Trump’s Tax Law Will Increase America’s Health Insurance Premiums

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Wednesday, May 2, 2018

Contact: Eric Gray

Communications Director

Democratic Party of Georgia

(678) 278-2016 ext. 302

ATLANTA – Former Secretary of Health and Human Services and Georgia Congressman Tom Price stated that President Donald Trump’s new tax legislation will likely “drive up the cost” of health insurance for many Americans due to the elimination of the individual mandate.

But just one year ago on ABC-TV’s This Week, Price argued that the elimination of the individual mandate would lower health insurance premiums, not raise them.

“Price’s complete about-face on health policy should come as no surprise,” said DuBose Porter, Democratic Party of Georgia Chair. “Since he’s no longer in the Trump administration, he’s now free to say what Democrats have been saying all along- the Affordable Care Act was lowering the increasing costs of health insurance, and President Trump’s plan is driving these costs up again.”

Price’s recent comments are in line with the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office’s estimate from last year. In November, the CBO predicted that average premiums in the healthcare exchanges would rise by about 10% in most years over the next decade under Trump’s then-tax bill. Georgia’s Republican Congress members all voted for the bill, which became law in December.

“Republicans have insisted that they would repeal and replace Obamacare. But they’ve only repealed parts of the bill and offered no replacements at all. This piecemeal approach to healthcare is the same approach that put the American people in this mess,” said Porter.

“If Trump’s former HHS Secretary can figure out that President Trump’s path leads to higher costs, Georgia Republicans should too.”

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Background

“Trump’s Former Health Secretary: Americans Will Pay More Because GOP Weakened Obamacare”, Washington Post, May 1 2018.

Tom Price “The individual mandate is …driving up the cost,” ABC-TV’s This Week via YouTube, July 30, 2017.

“Repealing the Individual Health Insurance Mandate: An Updated Estimate”, Congressional Budget Office (PDF file), November 2017.

“How Each House Member Voted on the Tax Bill”, New York Times, December 19, 2017.

Statement on Trump’s Executive Order to Sabotage Health Care

Release:  Friday, October 13, 2017

Atlanta, GA – Democratic Party of Georgia First Vice Chair Nikema Williams issued the following statement on Donald Trump’s executive order to sabotage the health care marketplace.

“With this executive order, Donald Trump and the Republican Party have made crystal clear the fact that they do not care about the collateral damage—Georgia’s families—in their quest to dismantle a bill that is actually saving lives. The ACA is working, yet Trump is undermining the insurance marketplace—while chipping away at President Obama’s legacy—to score political points with the Republican Party’s base. Democrats believe health care is a human right, not a privilege. To truly improve the quality of life for all Georgians, we call on the GOP to work with Democrats to craft policies that strengthen the security found in quality affordable healthcare.”

Late Thursday evening, the Trump Administration announced the decision to cut ACA subsidies—known as cost-sharing reduction subsidies or CSRs—that reduce the cost of health care for millions of Georgians.

From The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities:

Stopping cost-sharing reduction (CSR) payments to insurers under the Affordable Care Act (ACA), as President Trump has repeatedly threatened, would drive up federal marketplace subsidy costs, raise premiums, cause more insurers to withdraw from the marketplaces, and increase the number of uninsured next year, the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) found today. Key findings include:

  • Stopping CSR payments would raise federal budget deficits by $6 billion in 2018 and $194 billion over the next ten years, relative to current law, due to increased costs for the ACA’s premium tax credits for low- and moderate-income people to offset their rising premiums (see below).
  • Marketplace premiums for “silver-level” plans would rise by 20 percent, on average, in 2018. Premiums for such plans would be 25 percent higher in 2020 and thereafter, relative to current law.
  • Marketplace insurers in some states would withdraw from or not enter the marketplaces in 2018. As a result, the share of the nation’s population living in areas with no marketplace insurers would rise to 5 percent in 2018, up from less than 0.5 percent under current law.
  • The number of uninsured would rise by 1 million in 2018, relative to current law.

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New Report Shows Lower Than Expected Obamacare Premiums For Georgia

NEW REPORT SHOWS LOWER THAN EXPECTED OBAMACARE PREMIUMS FOR GEORGIA

GOP efforts to repeal would hurt economy and raise average rates

ATLANTA, GA – As Republicans continue to march the country toward a government shutdown and a default on our obligations in an effort to defund Obamacare, the Georgia Democratic Party touted new data from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services showing that Obamacare is working and will cost consumers less than anticipated.

“The new report found that health care rates in Georgia are affordable, especially with new subsidies that will be available for around half of Americans buying their health insurance. The report found that right here in Georgia, a 27 year old making $25,000 a year would have access to insurance plans as low as $103 per month and a family of four making $50,000 would only pay $132,” said DuBose Porter, DPG Chair. “Obamacare is working and Republicans in Washington are doing everything in their power to take it away, even if it means hurting our economy by shutting down the government and not paying our nation’s bills.”

The report found that in addition to lower premiums, in Georgia, consumers will be able to choose from an average of 50 plans so they can pick the one that works best for them and their family. The health care plans give Georgians access to quality affordable coverage with no lifetime caps on care, prevents coverage denial due to preexisting conditions, bars insurers from charging women more and so much more.

To view the report with a breakdown of how the Affordable Care Act is helping Georgians, click here.

 

DPG / Red Cross Blood Drive

Red Cross Child copy

The Democratic Party of Georgia will be sponsoring a blood drive at our headquarters, located at 763 Trabert Ave NW Suite A, Atlanta, GA 30318.

Monday, September 09, 2013

2:00 pm to 7:00 pm

Conference Room

 

Please access redcrossblood.org and enter sponsor code: DPOG or call 1-800-RED-CROSS to schedule your appointment.

All presenting donors will receive a FREE GIFT!!