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

ATLANTA, Georgia, May 2 -- The Georgia Democratic Party issued the following news release:

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 percent 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 But they've only repealed parts of the bill and offered no replacements at all.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."