Dr Tom Price tapped by Donald Trump to lead HHS
President-elect Donald Trump announced Tuesday that he will nominate Georgia Rep. Tom Price to head the Department of Health and Human Services.
The Cabinet-level pick, which requires Senate confirmation, inserts one of Obamacare’s most outspoken critics into the key position to dismantle it or at least assist the GOP to implement their own blueprint for health care reform.
“Chairman Price, a renowned physician, has earned a reputation for being a tireless problem solver and the go-to expert on healthcare policy, making him the ideal choice to serve in this capacity,” Trump said in a statement. “He is exceptionally qualified to shepherd our commitment to repeal and replace Obamacare and bring affordable and accessible healthcare to every American.”
photo LaDawna Howard via Flickr
Price, an orthopedic surgeon and the House point person for crafting legislation to replace the Affordable Care Act. He is also chairman of the House Budget Committee, is known as a policy wonk and would add another well-known Capitol Hill name to Trump’s budding cabinet, along with Rep. Mike Pompeo and Sen. Jeff Sessions, whom were named as CIA Director and Attorney General, respectively.
Price joined Trump at his campaign speech on health care reform and issued a statement praising Trump’s commitment to “fully repealing this failed law.”
“On November 8th, I’ll join the people of Georgia in supporting Donald Trump for president,” he said at the time. “He has committed to fully repealing this failed law and as the author of legislation that does just that, I look forward to working with the Trump Administration to make healthcare more affordable and accessible…”
Critics defending Obamacare are attacking Price.
“A repeal of the ACA would totally blow up our health care system, and no one is prepared for the impact, not state governments, providers, consumers, or the small businesses on Main Street,” said Jim Houser, the owner of Hawthorne Auto Clinic in Portland, OR and Main Street Alliance Executive Committee Member. “In 6 years, incoming Secretary Tom Price and the GOP haven’t floated an idea for a replacement that did not rapidly demonstrate that it would blow up the deficit, grow the debt, cut coverage for small business owners and our employees, and hurt providers.”
Actually that is incorrect. Price has put forth the beginnings of a plan called “Empowering Patients First Act” – read HERE
“Congressman Tom Price, a Washington insider, is hardly the Secretary of Health and Human Services the small business community can look to for improvements to our health care system. He’s introduced several pieces of failed legislation aimed at taking down the landmark health care law and doesn’t appear capable of generating the ideas necessary to build on the ACA’s successes,” said Paul Heroux, a retired contractor from Orlando, FL and a member of the Main Street Alliance National Action Committee.“The President-Elect phoned it in with this selection at a time when America needed a strong commitment to improving a health care system that tens of millions rely upon.”
photo Andrew Aliferis via Flickr
