Trump’s choice of Tom Price for Health and Human Services is disastrous

Sal Rosselli, president of the National Union of Healthcare Workers, issued the following statement Tuesday after president-elect Donald Trump announced Rep. Tom Price, R-Georgia, a staunch opponent of Obamacare and a founding member of the Tea Party Caucus, as his choice to lead the Department of Health and Human Services.

“Donald Trump has made a disastrous choice that could cost millions of Americans their health insurance,” Rosselli said. “After campaigning on empty platitudes about replacing the Affordable Care Act with ‘something terrific,’ Trump has selected a man who authored the most draconian legislation in Congress seeking to dismember a law that has helped 20 million Americans finally afford health insurance.

“Tom Price’s vision of ‘something terrific’ would erode protections for people with pre-existing conditions and roll back government subsidies that have led to sharpest ever declines in the uninsured rate,” Rosselli said. “We all know Obamacare is flawed, but there’s a terrific alternative. It’s called Medicare for All, and it would guarantee quality, affordable health care for every American. Instead we have a president intent on turning back the clock to an era when Americans were completely at the mercy of insurance companies and insurance was out of reach for the people who needed it most.”