President-Elect Donald Trump announced his latest cabinet pick Tuesday, who would head the Department for Health and Human Services, and it sent the Big Three networks into full spin mode. Trump selected Congressman Tom Price to be the Secretary of HHS, or as Noah O’Donnell described him on CBS Evening News, “Donald Trump makes more cabinet picks, including the man who intends to blow up ObamaCare.”
CBS’ fear mongering against Price continued during Major Garrett’s report about Trump’s latest picks and prospective nominations. “Price's plan would abolish the expansion of Medicaid under Obamacare that has provided insurance coverage to 15 million Americans,” reported Garrett, “Price would also roll back guaranteed coverage for patients with preexisting medical conditions.” The only mention of what his replacement plan would do for the public was that it created health savings account, which is only a fraction of what it does.
On ABC’s World News Tonight, Tom Llamas warned that the plan, “Includes repealing the expansion of Medicaid, which provides insurance for millions of low income Americans.” He had no mention at all about how Price planned to ensure that millions of people would have health insurances. That, in spike of reporting, “He's one of few Republicans with a detailed plan for replacing the president's healthcare law.”
Both ABC and CBS reported that he drafted an ObamaCare replacement, but they failed to mention that it was drafted before the “Affordable Care” Act was even past. But reporting such a fact would go against the liberal narrative, going back years, that Republicans had no plan to replace ObamaCare and only wanted to leave people high and dry with just a repeal.
While those two networks talked about Price as a part of larger reports, NBC Nightly News dedicated a whole report to trying to freak out the public. Anchor Lester Holt led into Kristen Welker’s report by fretting, “the question for millions who depend on [ObamaCare], what next?”
“Since ObamaCare's implementation six years ago, Georgia Congressman Tom Price has been proposing ways to dismantle it,” reported Welker, then speculating, “Mr. Trump's promise to eliminate ObamaCare could leave the 28 million people currently enrolled, in limbo.” Welker then detailed two ObamaCare enrollees who don’t trust Trump or Price:
Like Adam Koontz. Koontz says ObamaCare has helped him manage his diabetes. And while Mr. Trump has said he's open to protecting those with preexisting conditions, Koontz isn't convinced…
Kate Gonzedo is worrying too, wondering if her birth control prescription plan will be scrapped if Obamacare is repealed. So Gonzedo opted for a longer lasting IUD.
It is unknown if either had an understanding of Price’s replacement plan.
The only person opposed to ObamaCare, interviewed by Welker, was a Virginia man she said was worried about rising premiums. “Anything would be better than ObamaCare,” he told her, and Welker left it at that.
But NBC once reported about how harmful the skyrocketing premiums were before the election. In the October 26 report Tom Costello talked with a Kentucky mother of two whose insurer pulled out of the exchange market, leaving her only expensive alternatives.
Transcripts below:
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ABC
World News Tonight
November 29, 2016
6:41:05 PM Eastern…
TOM LLAMAS: Trump's [flag burning] tweet taking some attention from a busy day for the transition team. Republican Congressman Tom Price of Georgia picked as secretary of health and human services. Price is an orthopedic surgeon, and a fierce critic of Obamacare.
TOM PRICE: This is bad for patients, for all Americans.
LLAMAS: He's one of few Republicans with a detailed plan for replacing the president's healthcare law. It includes repealing the expansion of Medicaid, which provides insurance for millions of low income Americans.
…
...
CBS Evening News
November 29, 2016
6:30:47 PM Eastern [Tom Price Tease]NOAH O’DONNELL: Donald Trump makes more cabinet picks, including the man who intends to blow up ObamaCare.
…
6:36:12 PM Eastern
…
TOM PRICE: This is a system that's not working for the American people.
MAJOR GARRETT: Mr. Trump's pick to lead the Department of Health and Human Services is a leading congressional critic of Obamacare. Georgia Congressman Tom price was an early Trump supporter and drafted the most comprehensive alternative to the Affordable Care Act.
PRICE: We want a system that’s affordable for everybody, that's accessible for everybody, that's of the highest quality, and provides choices for patients.
GARRETT: Price's plan would abolish the expansion of Medicaid under Obamacare that has provided insurance coverage to 15 million Americans. Price would also roll back guaranteed coverage for patients with preexisting medical conditions. He would use tax credits and promote health savings accounts to help Americans purchase insurance.
…
...
NBC Nightly News
November 29, 2016
7:11:20 PM EasternLESTER HOLT: Let's turn back to the president-elect's pick for health and human services. It's shining a spotlight, tonight, on the coming effort to repeal and replace ObamaCare. And the question for millions who depend on it, what next? NBC's Kristen Welker has that story.
[Cuts to video]
KRISTEN WELKER: Since ObamaCare's implementation six years ago, Georgia Congressman Tom Price has been proposing ways to dismantle it.
TOM PRICE: A mandate that the government tells you what kind of healthcare you've got to have. Is that what you want?
CROWD: No!
WELKER: Now as President-Elect Trump's pick for secretary of health and human services, he has his chance. Mr. Trump's promise to eliminate ObamaCare could leave the 28 million people currently enrolled, in limbo. Like Adam Koontz. Koontz says ObamaCare has helped him manage his diabetes. And while Mr. Trump has said he's open to protecting those with preexisting conditions, Koontz isn't convinced.
ADAM KOONTZ: It's about trying to stay alive. I can't live without insulin. It's not a choice that I have insulin. I either get it or I die.
WELKER: Kate Gonzedo is worrying too, wondering if her birth control prescription plan will be scrapped if Obamacare is repealed. So Gonzedo opted for a longer lasting IUD.
KATE GONZEDO: I made the appointment right after the election, just because of uncertainties about what sorts of resources were going to be provided to me in the next four years.
WELKER: But Jim Harrell says his Virginia Beach community has been hit hard by the rising cost of premiums under Obamacare, an average of 10 percent in the state.
JIM HARRELL: Anything would be better than ObamaCare.
WELKER: Anything?
HARRELL: Anything.
WELKER: But will Mr. Trump and Congressman Tom Price be able to turn their promises for better, more affordable health care into reality?
LARRY LEVITT: Talking about repealing the affordable care act is the easy part. Figuring out what’s going to replace it and how to deal with the 20 million people who have already been covered by the law, is going to be really tough.
WELKER: Adam Koontz just hopes they keep people like him in mind, while crafting an alternative. Kristen Welker, Stone Ridge, Virginia.
