Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Price Received Special Invite To Invest In Biomedical Company
The Wall Street Journal: Rep. Tom Price Got Privileged, Discounted Offer On Biomedical Stock, Company Says
Rep. Tom Price got a privileged offer to buy a biomedical stock at a discount, the company’s officials said, contrary to his congressional testimony this month. The Georgia Republican tapped by President Donald Trump to be secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services testified in his Senate confirmation hearings on Jan. 18 and 24 that the discounted shares he bought in Innate Immunotherapeutics Ltd., an Australian medical biotechnology company, “were available to every single individual that was an investor at the time.” (Grimaldi, 1/30)
The Hill: Company Says Price Got Exclusive Discount On Medical Stock
Rep. Tom Price (R-Ga.) was part of an exclusive group that was able to buy stock in a biotech company at a discount, the company told The Wall Street Journal. Price, President Trump’s nominee for secretary of Health and Human Services, was among fewer than 20 people that received a 12 percent discount on shares of Innate Immunotherapeutics, the Journal reports. The company's statement appears to contradict Price’s testimony to the Senate Finance Committee last week, when he said that the discounted shares “were available to every single individual that was an investor at the time.” (Sullivan, 1/30)
Kansas City Star: Tom Price, Trump's Pick To Head Up Health And Human Services, Closer To Confirmation
The chief executive officer of an Australian biomedical company at the center of a Trump administration confirmation battle denied impropriety Monday, even as Senate Democrats called to postpone a vote for Health and Human Services Secretary nominee Tom Price. In an email interview with McClatchy, Innate Immunotherapeutics CEO Simon Wilkinson disputed that Price got insider or privileged information about the company before he purchased the stock. The company stood to benefit from legislation that allows for speedier clinical drug trials. (Clark and Hall, 1/30)
CQ Roll Call: Price Says States Should Save To Combat Health Risks Like Zika
Rep. Tom Price offered glimpses into how he’d like to change Medicaid in his responses to questions posed by Senate Finance Committee members, with a theme of pushing more financial responsibilities to the states and individuals. The committee on Tuesday likely will advance Price's nomination as Health and Human Services secretary to the Senate floor over Democrats' objections. Sen. Bill Nelson, D-Fla., asked Price to explain how states could respond to public health crises if Congress were to limit the flow of federal money to Medicaid through the adoption of an approach such as block grants, which Price supports. Nelson cited the Zika virus as an example of an unforeseen health threat that states needed federal assistance in addressing. (Young, 1/30)
