BOSTON, MA – Statement of Robert Restuccia, executive director of Community Catalyst, on the Senate vote this morning to confirm Rep. Tom Price (R-GA) as U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services.

“As an organization that represents the interest of all consumers, especially the most vulnerable, we are deeply disappointed the Republican majority in the Senate has confirmed as Secretary of Health and Human Services someone who has consistently pursued health policy changes that would hurt the people who can least afford it: those who are older, lower-income and sicker.

“Secretary Tom Price has proposed Affordable Care Act ‘replacement’ ideas that would cause millions to lose health coverage and increase premiums for millions more, and take us back to the days of coverage denials, women being charged more than men for coverage, and skimpy health plans that don’t cover essential services. Secretary Price has also advanced plans to make radical changes to Medicaid and Medicare that would impede access to care, shift the cost of care onto consumers who can least afford it, and thwart innovations that are improving the quality and reducing the cost of care in the United States.

“As Secretary Price takes on his new role leading government oversight of a health system intended to serve all Americans, we hope he will reconsider some of his past views. We encourage him to heed the massive public outcry from people across the country who have flooded congressional offices with compelling stories of how coverage through ACA marketplaces and Medicaid expansion has saved lives, improved health and protected families from financial disaster. We hope he will carry out President Trump’s promise that ‘there will be no cuts to Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid.’ And we hope he will be open to continuing innovations in payment and delivery reform included in the ACA that are already showing promise in improving the quality and reducing the cost of care.

“We will continue to fight and make our voice heard to protect consumer’s health security and the health safety net programs that are critical to ensuring all people have access to high-quality, affordable health coverage.”

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About Community Catalyst
Community Catalyst is a national, non-profit consumer advocacy organization founded in 1998 with the belief that affordable quality health care should be accessible to everyone. We work in partnership with national, state and local organizations, policymakers, and philanthropic foundations to ensure consumer interests are represented wherever important decisions about health and the health system are made: in communities, courtrooms, statehouses and on Capitol Hill. For more information, visit www.communitycatalyst.org. Read our blog at http://blog.communitycatalyst.org. Follow us on Twitter @healthpolicyhub.