Trump's former HHS secretary, Tom Price, says the GOP is driving up consumers' health-care costs


Tom Price isn't suddenly a fan of the Affordable Care Act, but he told the World Health Care Conference in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday that Republican tinkering with the law is driving up health-care costs for consumers. Republicans were unable to muster the votes to repeal ObamaCare last year, despite Price's urging, but their tax overhaul effectively wiped out the individual mandate requiring Americans to have health insurance or pay a penalty.
Scrapping the individual mandate is "nibbling at the side," Price said Tuesday, 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."
That isn't a terribly controversial point — the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office projected in November that without the individual mandate, 13 million fewer Americans will have health insurance and average premiums will rise by about 10 percent a year in exchange plans. Dave Dillion at the Society of Actuaries projects rates will rise up to 7.5 percent in 2019 because of the mandate's removal, Vox reports, and the Urban Institute says combined with other actions by President Trump, premiums will shoot up by an average of 20 percent nationwide. The Commonwealth Fund reported Tuesday that 4 million fewer Americans have health insurance since Trump took office.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
But Price himself has argued otherwise, telling ABC News last summer that "the individual mandate is one of those things that is actually driving up the cost for the American people in terms of coverage." He was pushed out in the fall after Politico detailed his extensive use of costly private jets for official business. Combined with other criticisms of the GOP tax law by Sens. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) and Bob Corker (R-Tenn.), "Republicans are working over time to prove our points on health care and taxes," said Tyler Law, spokesman for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.
-
Kennedy ousts entire CDC vaccine advisory panel
speed read Health Secretary RFK Jr. is a longtime anti-vaccine activist who has criticized the panel of experts
-
RFK Jr. scraps Covid shots for pregnant women, kids
Speed Read The Health Secretary announced a policy change without informing CDC officials
-
New FDA chiefs limit Covid-19 shots to elderly, sick
speed read The FDA set stricter approval standards for booster shots
-
US overdose deaths plunged 27% last year
speed read Drug overdose still 'remains the leading cause of death for Americans aged 18-44,' said the CDC
-
Trump seeks to cut drug prices via executive order
speed read The president's order tells pharmaceutical companies to lower prescription drug prices, but it will likely be thrown out by the courts
-
RFK Jr. visits Texas as 2nd child dies from measles
Speed Read An outbreak of the vaccine-preventable disease continues to grow following a decade of no recorded US measles deaths
-
Shingles vaccine cuts dementia risk, study finds
Speed Read Getting vaccinated appears to significantly reduce the chances of developing Alzheimer's and other forms of dementia
-
Measles outbreak spreads, as does RFK Jr.'s influence
Speed Read The outbreak centered in Texas has grown to at least three states and Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is promoting unproven treatments