The Obamacare replacement bill made public by House GOP leaders this week will ultimately lead to more Americans with health insurance, Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price said Wednesday.
Price appeared on Fox News' "Your World With Neil Cavuto" and said the American Health Care Act will be a success.
"If you look at what the baseline is, what the current law is, people are losing their insurance right now," Price said. "There was a report out last week that demonstrated there were 3 or 4 million individuals who are gonna lose insurance because the insurance companies are pulling out of the market."
After making the point that 20 million Americans have opted to not sign up for any form of heath insurance for various reasons, Price said Republicans' plan would be more enticing and more affordable for people because it will provide more choices.
"The program that the House has brought forward and that we are fully supportive of, that's a program that will get more individuals covered, the cost will come down, they'll be able to purchase insurance that they want for themselves and for their family, not that the government forces them to buy," Price said.
Price was also asked about premium hikes and whether the trend under Obamacare, which has seen double-digit increases in monthly premiums from year to year, would continue under the American Health Care Act.
"If we can get choices and competition and transparency and accountability, we've got a system that will actually work for patients, not government. That's the key," he said.
"If you're able to purchase across state lines, if you're able to join larger insurance pools, if you're able to see the accountability and the transparency that's so necessary in insurance and the provision of coverage, the prices will of necessity come down."