Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Perspectives On The Price Nomination
USA Today: Tom Price's Stocks Carry Swampy Smell: Our View
Exhibit A for how Washington insiders have prospered is not one of the billionaires Trump has chosen for key posts but Tom Price, a Georgia congressman nominated to be Health and Human Services secretary. As a sitting congressman, Price repeatedly bought and sold shares in companies with businesses in areas where he was active legislatively. By the ridiculously low standards Congress sets for itself, this is not illegal. But it is the type of behavior that erodes confidence in government. (1/25)
USA Today: Price Is Right
When President Trump announced his selection of Dr. Tom Price to serve as secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), I applauded the choice. Who better to lead one of our nation’s top health agencies than a physician and a public servant who has a real plan to replace a failing health care law that is hurting Americans? (Sen. Johnny Isakson, 1/25)
Georgia Health News: Three Reforms For Day 1, Once Dr. Price Is Confirmed
Much of the discussion about the ACA has centered around the legislative kabuki required to reform it. But as President Trump has already shown, swift action can be taken to address the ACA through executive order, just as executive orders were used in the previous administration to shape how the law was implemented. The pen may be more powerful than the legislative process. Many of the most impactful parts of the Affordable Care Act were decided on a Washington whim, by agency bureaucrats, resulting in a slew of regulations. In coordination with the president, Price, once confirmed, could immediately push forward regulatory reforms that would strengthen Georgia’s health insurance market on Day 1. The three are: 1) Encourage Continuous Coverage 2) Reclassify Agent Commissions under MLR Rule 3) Return Insurance Regulation to the states. (Graham Thompson, 1/25)
