Price Pledges To Divest Interests In Health Companies If Confirmed
Rep. Tom Price, R-Ga., Donald Trump's pick for Health and Human Services secretary, has drawn scrutiny over his financial investments in an industry he would be overseeing.
The Associated Press:
Trump's HHS Pick Will Sell Off Stock To Avoid Conflicts
President-elect Donald Trump's nominee to be the nation's top health official will sell off stock holdings to avoid potential conflicts of interest, according to government documents released Thursday. Rep. Tom Price's ethics agreement and financial disclosure were posted online by the Office of Government Ethics. ... If confirmed by the Senate, Price said he would divest himself of stock in more than 40 companies. He'll also resign a position with the American Medical Association, as well as a managing role in a business partnership. (Alonson-Zaldivar, 1/12)
Stat:
Tom Price To Divest Financial Interest In Major Health Companies
A letter dated Wednesday and addressed to an HHS ethics official lists 43 companies from which Price pledged to divest his interest within 90 days of his confirmation. Some, including Aetna, Amgen, Eli Lilly, and Pfizer, are major companies in the health care industry; others, including Amazon, Facebook, Delta Airlines, and Northrop Grumman, are not. (Facher, 1/12)
Morning Consult:
Trump’s HHS Pick Details Plan To Divest From Companies
He also promised to resign as a delegate of the American Medical Association and not participate in any matters of which he knows the AMA is a party or represents a party for up to one year. Since his wife is a member of the Georgia state legislature, Price said he wouldn’t participate in matters connected to the state without gaining prior authorization on a case-by-case basis. (McIntire, 1/12)
The Hill:
Trump Health Pick Vows To Sell Off Stocks To Avoid Conflicts
"With regard to each of these entities, I will not participate personally and substantially in any particular matter that to my knowledge has a direct and predictable effect on the financial interests of the entity until I have divested it, unless I first obtain a written waiver," Price wrote. (Hellmann, 1/12)
CQ Roll Call:
Price To Divest Stock, Drop AMA Post If Confirmed As HHS Chief
Trump spokesman Phil Blando said Thursday, "Just as Dr. Price was compliant with congressional disclosure rules, Dr. Price will comply fully with the recommendations put forward by the ethics office. Given this agreement, we expect the Senate to move expeditiously with consideration of Dr. Price's nomination." (Young, 1/12)
In other news on Price —
Kaiser Health News:
Trump's HHS Nominee Got A Sweetheart Deal From A Foreign Biotech Firm
When tiny Australian biotech firm Innate Immunotherapeutics needed to raise money last summer, it didn’t issue stock on the open market. Instead, it offered a sweetheart deal to “sophisticated U.S. investors,” company documents show. It sold nearly $1 million in discounted shares to two American congressmen sitting on House committees with the potential power to advance the company’s interests, according to company records and congressional filings. ... One of the beneficiaries was Rep. Tom Price, a Georgia Republican poised to become secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services, which regulates pharmaceuticals. (Hancock and Bluth, 1/13)
Atlanta Journal Constitution:
Price Would Oversee Doctor Tracking System He Sought To Limit
You may have never heard of the National Practitioner Data Bank, but there’s a good chance your doctor has. It’s the only national database that tracks professionally disciplined doctors across the country, ensuring that they can’t hop from state-to-state to escape their troubled pasts... Now, the data bank may become an issue again with the nomination of Georgia Congressman Tom Price – a physician – to lead the Department of Health and Human Services. In 2011, Price co-sponsored a bill called the Health Care Professionals Protection Act that would have placed additional restrictions on reports to the data bank. (Ernsthausen, 1/12)
