With eye on Obamacare, Price takes helm as U.S. health secretary

[rooster59]

With eye on Obamacare, Price takes helm as U.S. health secretary

By Susan Cornwell

 

U.S. Rep. Tom Price (R-GA) testifies before a Senate Finance Committee confirmation hearing on his nomination to be Health and Human Services secretary on Capitol Hill in Washington, U.S., January 24, 2017. REUTERS/Carlos Barria

 

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Tom Price was sworn in as U.S. secretary of health on Friday, putting in place a determined opponent of Obamacare to help President Donald Trump fulfil his pledge to dismantle his predecessor's law and reshape the country's healthcare system.

As head of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Price has the authority to rewrite rules implementing the 2010 Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare. He could move quickly to rework the regulations while waiting for Republicans in Congress to keep their pledge to scrap the law entirely.

The Republican president signed an order on Jan. 20, his first day in office, to freeze regulations and take other steps to weaken the law enacted by former Democratic President Barack Obama, a directive that will fall largely on Price. But Trump said in a recent Fox News interview that a replacement for the law may not come until next year.

Trump said on Friday the effort was a "difficult process" but could now get going with Price in place.

"Now we get down to the final strokes," he told reporters at a separate news conference at the White House alongside visiting Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. He did not offer more details but said the country would end up with "tremendous healthcare at a lower price."

Republicans, who have long viewed Obamacare as federal overreach and who have the majority in Congress, are trying to craft a replacement but have not agreed on one. Twenty million Americans gained health insurance under the law.

"Having Dr. Tom Price at the helm of HHS gives us a committed ally in our work to repeal and replace Obamacare," said U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Paul Ryan, who has vowed to pass a new plan this year.

Price, a member of the House since 2005 who chaired the budget committee, offered legislation in 2015 to repeal Obamacare and replace it with age-adjusted tax credits for the purchase of health insurance.

While Price's fellow Republicans have controlled the House since 2011, they did not advance his bill and it was not considered by the full chamber.

The Senate voted 52-47 earlier on Friday to approve Price, a former orthopaedic surgeon, to oversee the HHS, which has an annual budget of more than $1 trillion.

Price's nomination was dogged by questions about his trading in hundreds of thousands of dollars in health company stocks while working on healthcare legislation. Democrats accused him of making misleading statements. Price defended his actions.

Democrats also criticized Price for his opposition to Obamacare, his ideas about restructuring the Medicare programme for the elderly and disabled, and his opposition to Planned Parenthood, an organisation that provides abortions and other affordable healthcare and education services.

With Price confirmed, the Senate is expected to vote on Monday on Trump's U.S. Treasury secretary designate, Steven Mnuchin.

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2017-02-11

[BruceMangosteen]

Unless you repeal the pre-existing conditions coverage and put the Government's extraordinary limit subsidy(which expired at the start of 2017)given to the Insurance companies back in the system, no one will be able to "replace" President Obama's "Obama Care". It's a joke to think you can keep all the benefits said plan gives people and actually reduce costs. The deductible is a red herring. It only applies to people who have the money.  The train is out of control. Dr. Price lives a comfortable life, very wealthy, and like many in the current cabinet, unable to relate to lower income or even middle income citizens and people. 

[humqdpf]

Welcome to the worst poison chalice of your life, Dr. Price. Easy to slag off Obamacare. But it is going to be comic to watch you try to "replace" it, that is if you don't mind the tragedy of those who will be left to suffer without cover afterwards, as is inevitable with this Trump regime.

[Srikcir]

With ownership of TrumpCare the Republicans will no longer have an excuse for any failures. Trump and the Republicans will own accountability for the new program. And frankly if it succeeds without diminishing any of the benefits from ObamaCare, Obama deserves credit for creating the first national healthcare system whose foundation motivated the Republicans after a decade of resistance and promises to improve.

[malibukid]

message "please hurry up and die"

 

[metisdead]

A baiting post has been removed as well as a post containing inflammatory comments:

 

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