AFT Leaders on Nomination of Tom Price as HHS Secretary
WASHINGTON—In response to President-elect Donald Trump’s nomination of Tom Price to head the Department of Health and Human Services, leaders of the AFT, the nation’s second-largest union of nurses and healthcare professionals, have issued the following statement: AFT President Randi Weingarten: “Tom Price would turn programs such as Medicare and Medicaid, relied on by millions, into vouchers and private accounts, while gutting protections for LGBTQ people, women and the most vulnerable Americans. "And as to Obamacare, despite glitches and setbacks, the nation has made years of hard-won, steady strides toward insuring millions. AFT clinicians on the frontlines of healthcare have seen firsthand how the Affordable Care Act has saved lives. Putting the Department of Health and Human Services under the control of an opponent of not only Obamacare, but also of the Children's Health Insurance Program, Medicare and Medicaid as we know them, threatens to undo that progress and then some—making Americans of every generation more vulnerable, and putting the health of millions at risk.” National Federation of Nurses President Stephen Rooney: “Rep. Price's policies will reduce access to healthcare and the quality of care while increasing costs, moving us in the opposite direction of improving the healthcare system. Price has introduced legislation that would limit nurse practitioners' scope of practice. NPs provide much-needed access to high-quality care at an affordable cost.” Health Professionals and Allied Employees President Ann Twomey: “Healthcare workers on the frontlines will continue to provide care for their patients—but we must be reassured that our hospitals and our patients will not be jeopardized under this administration.” Wisconsin Federation of Nurses and Health Professionals President Candice Owley:
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