Insurers around the United States are pulling out of Obamacare exchanges because they are realizing the Affordable Care Act's model does not work and they can't continue to provide the coverage at the prices that exist, Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price said Wednesday.
"[This] is why Congress needs to act," Price told Fox News' "Fox & Friends" program.
"The fact that Congress didn't act earlier this month doesn't mean the problem goes away. What we're looking for is patient-centered healthcare, where patients and doctors are making decisions, not Washington D.C."
This week, Anthem announced plans to end coverage in Nevada and in most of Georgia. The move comes after President Donald Trump last week threatened to cut off subsidy payments that help insurers keep plans affordable.
"We need to move in a direction where people can actually gain coverage," said Price. "We have got about 40 percent of the counties in this nation next year that will have only one insurer providing coverage on the exchange. That means they have no choice at all. That's not working for patients."
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, speaking to a Rotary Club meeting back in his home state of Kentucky Tuesday, criticized Trump for having "excessive expectations" when it comes to passing bills like Obamacare repeal and replace measures.
However, Price, himself a former congressman, said the onus to get legislation through lies on Congress, not the president.
"The president and his administration, we here at HHS are doing every single thing we can to make certain that patients are able to see the doctor that they want," said Price. "People understand this isn't working and consequently Congress needs to enact a direction that allows for patient-centered healthcare."
The House did pass legislation, and the Senate proposed a "significant improvement" to healthcare as it stands, but it couldn't get the votes it needed, pointed out Price.
"That doesn't mean that the challenge goes away, and so it's incumbent upon Congress to come back to town, when they come back to town, and get to work," he said.
Meanwhile, the matter of insurance payments is now in the court system, and Price said he can't comment on whether he is working to keep sure Trump keeps making them. However, he did argue that the payments are "unconstitutional."
Price also discussed the ongoing opioid epidemic, following Trump's pledge on Tuesday that the United States would defeat it.
"This opioid crisis across the land knows no bounds," said Price. "There were 52,000 overdose deaths in 2015, and the deaths [went] up in 2016 and 2017. The president understands this and appreciates the magnitude of the challenge and has charged us along with others in his administration to come forward with a strategic plan to solve this challenge."