HHS Secretary Price on the CBO Report

H.R. 1628, American Health Care Act of 2017

Congressional Budget Office, May 24, 2017

CBO and JCT estimate that enacting the American Health Care Act would reduce federal deficits by $119 billion over the coming decade and increase the number of people who are uninsured by 23 million in 2026 relative to current law.

CBO Summary:
https://www.cbo.gov…

CBO Full Report (41 pages):
https://www.cbo.gov…

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HHS Secretary Price Statement on CBO Report

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, May 24, 2017

Following the release of the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) report analyzing the American Health Care Act, Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Tom Price, M.D. released the following statement:

“The CBO was wrong when they analyzed Obamacare’s effect on cost and coverage, and they are wrong again. In reality, Americans are paying more for fewer healthcare choices because of Obamacare, and that’s why the Trump Administration is committed to reforming healthcare. In a new analysis released just last night, HHS reported that premiums in the individual market have more than doubled since many of Obamacare’s regulations and mandates were implemented.”

HHS released a new analysis yesterday that shows premiums have doubled for individual health insurance plans since 2013, the year before many of Obamacare’s regulations and mandates took effect.

https://www.hhs.gov…

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Comment:

By Don McCanne, M.D.

Even though we spend far more on health care than other nations, the market has not been effective in allocating our funds in a manner that would ensure adequate health care for all. This is a time and circumstance wherein we clearly need government leadership.

In response to a Congressional Budget Office report showing that the current proposed health reform legislation – American Health Care Act of 2017 – would likely cause another 23 million people to lose their health insurance, besides its other deleterious effects, HHS Secretary Tom Price fails to acknowledge the severe deficiencies of the legislation and instead condemns the report as being “wrong.” This is not a casual comment; he distributes this through an official HHS release of the U.S. government.

Of course, the report isn’t wrong; it’s a prediction, based on the best available information.

What is wrong is that we have in place a public servant who would destroy whatever he can of the important public health role served by the Department of Health and Human Services. He is driven by his nutty anti-government ideology and would sacrifice the health services of tens of millions of Americans simply for the expediency of implementing his destructive agenda.

Although there are some checks and balances, nevertheless he is in a position to do considerable harm to America’s health care. He should not be left in office for four to eight years while we wait for the next president to replace him. Citizen action is required – now.

This is the opinion of the author is not an official view of Physicians for a National Health Program.