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 But they’ve only repealed parts of the bill and offered no replacements at all.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.”

###

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.