FIRST ON FOX: President Biden is getting a boost from a major group of former medical officials who say they are concerned about the "threat" former President Trump poses to public health.
The group of 48 individuals is led by Dr. Andrew Gurman, former president of the American Medical Association (AMA), and includes six other former AMA presidents, a former U.S. surgeon general, four former acting surgeons general, a number of other former deputy and assistant surgeons general and former representatives of the American College of Physicians.
"We write today as people who have dedicated our lives to helping people. As former leaders of national health care and delivery organizations, we have come to understand how policy can impact public health and, just as importantly, the ability of American families to afford the healthcare they need," the group wrote in a letter addressed to the American People and shared exclusively with Fox News Digital.
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"If he is elected president, Donald Trump will make our fears a reality. The price of healthcare for American families under Trump would skyrocket, while millions would lose access to healthcare altogether. While his specific policies are at best ambiguous, his track record and his words make clear the damage he would do.
"We therefore encourage anyone concerned about the price, availability, and safety of healthcare to keep Mr. Trump out of the White House," they added.
The group argued that because of Trump's "ambiguity" concerning health care policy, all they could do was "surmise" how the former president might proceed based on his record in office and his remarks on the campaign trail.
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They described what they foresee as "troubling," including Trump's expressed desire to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act (ACA). Additionally, the group argued Trump would cut funds from the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP), eliminate the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), cut funding for veterans' health care and try to further restrict abortions.
"I am concerned that, based upon what I saw during the Trump presidency and what I have heard him say during the campaign, that returning Mr. Trump to the Oval Office could have real and negative effects on the health of our country," Gurman told Fox News Digital ahead of the letter's release.
"I am concerned that millions might lose access to health care altogether, and that for the rest it might well become much more expensive. I think that people need to hear those concerns, and that’s why I signed the letter."
Biden campaign communications director Michael Tyler reacted to the letter by telling Fox News Digital "every chance Trump got while in office, he made it his mission to rip health care away from working families."
"Pushing to ‘terminate’ the Affordable Care Act is just the start for Trump if he’s re-elected. He’s now running to go even further. A second Trump presidency would mean the American people would risk getting sicker, going broke, both or worse with soaring prescription drug costs, the elimination of protections for patients with preexisting conditions and wins for Big Pharma at the expense of working families," he said.
"This November, voters will send President Biden back to the White House because he is the candidate who won’t just protect our health care, but will do everything he can to lower costs and improve our health care."
Fox News Digital has reached out to Trump's campaign for comment and a Trump spokesperson, Karoline Leavitt, said the claims were false.
"These claims are outright lies. While President Trump is running to make less expensive healthcare options available for people without eliminating the Affordable Care Act, Joe Biden is destroying Obamacare and the entire healthcare system with his open borders invasion," said Leavitt. "It was recently announced that Joe Biden is giving free government healthcare to illegal aliens. Every penny of this will be funded by American citizens, taken out of their paychecks and wallets. It will mean higher taxes, higher premiums, higher deductibles, and longer wait times to see a doctor. And it will mean the border invasion Biden launched will become even larger as the world floods over in search of free government benefits. This is all part of Biden’s war on the working class. Day 1 of a Trump Administration we will seal the border, deport the illegals and cut off their government benefits."
