This morning, longtime House Republican and former Trump HHS Secretary Tom Price said that the GOP tax scam “drives up the cost” of healthcare and will “harm” the ACA exchanges. In response, DCCC spokesman Tyler Law issued the following statement:
“Former HHS Secretary Price knows the truth: Republicans are responsible for the massive premium increases that will unfortunately hit Americans this Fall, as a result of their tax scam,” said DCCC Spokesman Tyler Law. “Washington Republicans have not stopped attacking affordable healthcare, and when out-of-pocket costs skyrocket right before the midterms, House Republicans’ political nightmare will only worsen.”
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Tom Price: Repeal of Obamacare mandate will drive up costs
Washington Times
https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2018/may/1/tom-price-repeal-obamacare-mandate-will-drive-cost/
Former Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price said Tuesday the GOP’s decision to repeal Obamacare’s individual mandate without a broader overhaul of the health care system will likely increase costs on consumers who remain in the program.
The comments from Mr. Price, who was ousted from HHS last fall over his pricey business travel, were remarkable, since he claimed the mandate was ineffective while in office. Also, Democrats have been making the same argument in accusing President Trump and his Republican allies of sabotaging the 2010 law’s marketplace.
[…] “That may help, but it still is nibbling at the side,” Mr. Price told the World Heath Care Congress in D.C. “And there are many, and I’m one of them, who believes that that actually will harm the pool in the exchange market, because you’ll likely have individuals who are younger and healthier not participating in that market, and consequently, that drives up the cost for other folks within that market.”
[…] Actuaries say premiums may rise by 10 percent, on average, due to the loss of the mandate, as insurers gird for a sicker consumer pool due to the loss of the mandate. Some blue states, like New Jersey, are poised to slap the penalties back onto residents through their state tax systems, however.