President Biden is getting a boost from a major group of former medical officials who say they are concerned about the \u2018threat\u2019 former President Trump poses to public health.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
\u2018We 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,\u2019 the group wrote in a letter addressed to the American People and shared exclusively with Fox News Digital.<\/p>\n
\u2018If 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.<\/p>\n
\u2018We therefore encourage anyone concerned about the price, availability, and safety of healthcare to keep Mr. Trump out of the White House,\u2019 they added.<\/p>\n
The group argued that because of Trump\u2019s \u2018ambiguity\u2019 concerning health care policy, all they could do was \u2018surmise\u2019 how the former president might proceed based on his record in office and his remarks on the campaign trail.<\/p>\n
They described what they foresee as \u2018troubling,\u2019 including Trump\u2019s expressed desire to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act (ACA). Additionally, the group argued Trump would cut funds from the Children\u2019s 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\u2019 health care and try to further restrict abortions.<\/p>\n
\u2018I 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,\u2019 Gurman told Fox News Digital ahead of the letter\u2019s release.<\/p>\n
\u2018I 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\u2019s why I signed the letter.\u2019<\/p>\n