NCL statement on the nomination of Dr. Tom Price (R-GA) for Secretary of Health and Human Services – National Consumers League
December 1, 2016
Contact: NCL Communications, Cindy Hoang, cindyh@nclnet.org, (202) 207-2832
Washington, DC—The National Consumers League (NCL) has issued the following statement, which may be attributed to Executive Director Sally Greenberg:
NCL, the nation’s pioneering consumer organization, founded in 1899, is alarmed to learn of the nomination of Dr. Tom Price (R-GA) to head the Department of Health and Human Services, whose mission is “Improving the health, safety, and well-being of America.” Dr. Price’s stated positions will, to the contrary, erode the nation’s essential health and safety laws and cause particular harm to older Americans and women.
Dr Price is an ideologue with extreme views, including: privatizing Medicare, a critical program that provides high quality health care for older Americans; repealing the Affordable Care Act, which today provides 20 million previously uninsured Americans with health coverage; and denying women access to both contraception AND abortion services, which is an illogical strategy towards a goal of reducing unwanted pregnancies. The State of Colorado is a case in point. Teenagers and poor women were offered free intrauterine devices and implants that prevent pregnancy. The birthrate among teenagers across the state plunged by 40 percent from 2009 to 2013, while their rate of abortions fell by 42 percent, according to the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment.
NCL has a long history of supporting health insurance for all, health coverage for seniors, and access to reproductive health care for women. They worked diligently over many years to secure the health care gains that women, seniors, and all Americans enjoy today. Dr. Price would roll back the clock on the health and well-being of millions of Americans. We urge the Senate to reject Dr. Price’s nomination. President-Elect Trump should instead nominate someone whose views are in step with the health care needs of the American people.
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About the National Consumers League
The National Consumers League, founded in 1899, is America’s pioneer consumer organization. Our mission is to protect and promote social and economic justice for consumers and workers in the United States and abroad. For more information, visit www.nclnet.org.
