Tom Price being considered for HHS secretary
Republican Georgia rep and surgeon is a longtime Trump supporter and voice against Obamacare.
Photo by Gage Skidmore
President-elect Donald Trump is considering appointing Rep. Tom Price, R-Georgia as secretary of Health and Human Services, according to Politico and other published sources.
Price has long been a Trump supporter, campaigning with him a week before the election at a rally to repeal Obamacare. He and other House committee chairmen endorsed Trump in May, according to Politico.
Price was among the first Republicans to introduce healthcare legislation as an alternative to the Affordable Care Act when Democrats were debating healthcare reform in 2009 and 2010.
He sponsored legislation to repeal the ACA, published sources said.
[Also: Fate of Medicaid expansion is top of mind for providers in Trump healthcare plan, experts say]
The orthopedic surgeon chairs the House Budget Committee and sits on the House Ways and Means Committee, which has jurisdiction over healthcare policy.
Like Trump and conservative Republicans, Price supports the use of health savings accounts as a way for consumers to pay for healthcare.
He is in favor of capping the tax break for employer-based coverage and providing refundable tax credits adjusted by age, not income, to buy health insurance, according to published sources.
[Also: MACRA will move forward largely untouched when Trump steps in, experts say]
On health payment reform, Price voted in favor of the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act, or MACRA, but has voiced concerns over provisions of enacting the law.
Other Republicans in contention for HHS secretary include former Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, Florida Gov. Rick Scott, former Rep. Renee Ellmers of North Carolina, and former Utah governor, Mike Leavitt. Former presidential candidate Ben Carson was in consideration, but Carson has said he would not serve in the Trump administration.
On Thursday, Price reportedly said Republicans in in the House expect to move on Medicare reforms six to eight months into the Trump administration, according to TPM.
House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wisconsin, favors privitizing Medicare but Price has suggested privatization won't be part of the first round of legislative initiatives that will likely including ACA reform. Medicare would wait until the second phase of budget reconciliation, according to TPM.
Twitter: @SusanJMorse
