Tom Price, Obamacare Critic, Is Trump’s Choice for Health Secretary

NY Times ^ | 11/28/2016 | Robert Pear

[usafa92]

WASHINGTON — President-elect Donald J. Trump has selected Representative Tom Price, a six-term Republican congressman from Georgia who has led opposition to the Affordable Care Act, to be secretary of health and human services, according to a transition team official.

Mr. Price, an orthopedic surgeon, has been a severe critic of the health law, saying it interferes with the ability of patients and doctors to make medical decisions.

And he says that events have borne out his warnings.

“Premiums have gone up, not down,” Mr. Price said recently. “Many Americans lost the health coverage they were told time and time again by the president that they could keep. Choices are fewer.”

An announcement of Mr. Price’s appointment is expected as soon as Tuesday, according to the official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because the announcement had not been released.

Some Republicans have attacked the Affordable Care Act without proposing an alternative. Mr. Price, by contrast, has introduced bills offering a detailed, comprehensive replacement plan in every Congress since 2009, when Democrats started work on the legislation.

[dadfly]

for instance, a far better choice than price would be Dr. Betsy McCaughey.

[DoodleDawg]

Has anyone calculated what the tax credits will cost compared to Obamacare costs? Replacing one crazy expensive, ineffective plan with another is hardly an improvement.

[FreedomPoster]

So is Laz, btw.

[lancium]

Jennifer Jacobs ‏@JenniferJJacobs 24m24 minutes ago "Price and Seema Verma are the dream team that will transform our healthcare system for the benefit of all Americans," Trump statement says. 0 replies 10 retweets 12 likes Reply Retweet 10 Like 12 More Jennifer Jacobs ‏@JenniferJJacobs 26m26 minutes ago Trump in statement names Tom Price for HHS secretary and Seema Verma for administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.

[usafa92]

A very uninformed and ignorant post. Do a little research on Tom Price and you will find he is far from GOPe.

[ROCKLOBSTER]

Has anyone calculated what the tax credits will cost

Tax credits don't cost anything. That's RATspeak. You sound like a denizen of the Taxation Committee.

Replacing one crazy expensive, ineffective plan with another is hardly an improvement.

Good thing nobody is proposing such a thing.

This model is the style of public policy structure that resulted in the "low premium/good benefits" states maintaining that status among the "50 state laboratories" prior to the ACA disaster.

It's not rocket science, it's neither new nor untested.

[ROCKLOBSTER]

I skimmed Title 4 to see if it included “loser pays” and, unfortunately, it does not. I think not including that is a mistake and misses an opportunity to help reduce medical costs.

This is a bill, not completed legislation. Your reps and Senators can propose amendments to it, and hopefully won't get too crazy. "Tort reform" could also be a stand-alone bill. We'd be golden if "the Price bill" passed unscathed.

The actual reform that needs to be enacted to "reduce medical costs" is not on the horizon as far as I know, but it affects the way hospitals and other providers "get paid".

"Free healthcare" is the culprit, and the way providers offset that, is by gouging paying customers, including cash patients AND insurers.

The name of the malodorous tactic is called: "cost shifting"....its practice should be banned.

[ROCKLOBSTER]

Here ya go

Yeah, that's where I got my links from. (bottom of the page)

[DoodleDawg]

Tax credits don't cost anything. That's RATspeak. You sound like a denizen of the Taxation Committee.

Tax credits cost a lot. Either in reduced revenue from those who apply the credits against what they owed in taxes before. Or, in the case of those who don't pay any income tax, a government subsidy of up to $3000 per person. Add to that the $1000 per person to start the HSA. And the $1,500 per small business to offset their administrative costs. And the billions in subsidies for high risk pools. And the other expenses. Pretty soon you're getting into Obamacare money. And will this provide better insurance at lower cost? That remains to be seen.

Good thing nobody is proposing such a thing.

Dr. Price could very well be proposing just that.

[taildragger]

"Sec. 127. Treatment of Direct Primary Care Service Arrangements":

Allows HSA dollars to be used to cover the fees associated with primary care service arrangements

Halleluiah! Do freepers know how big this is! This verbage has been missing from all Team Trump's press releases!

This is "Yuge"!

[1Old Pro]

The sound you hear is Obama’s “legacy” sinking to the bottom of the sea.

[Alas Babylon!]

What about the Pope? Do they call him Mr. Bergoglio? Is the Dalai Lama Mr. Lama?

[HokieMom]

Rep. Tom Price

Brent Bozell's facebook post:

"The appointment of Rep. Tom Price as Secretary of Health and Human Services is yet another excellent cabinet choice by President-elect Trump. Trump seems absolutely committed to honoring his pro-life commitments by selecting a man with a 100% pro-life record. No wonder Trump is driving the media nuts. These choices are all ... conservatives. And in choosing a pro-life cabinet member, Trump has disrupted the liberal media's pro-abortion agenda, their single most important issue. Conservatives should be very pleased with the decisions coming out of Trump Tower."

[CottonBall]

do you have any info / links to his replacement plan?

[CottonBall]

can you ping me? i’d like to see his replacement plan

[CottonBall]

found your posts, thanks!

[FreedomPoster]

http://www.tomprice.com/issues

https://www.congress.gov/bill/114th-congress/house-bill/2300

[Haiku Guy]

My new favorite words: “The Secretary shall determine...”

[FreedomPoster]

>>242 pages. At least it’s largish print!

That’s less than a tenth the size of Obamacare, if memory serves.

Apparently it doesn’t. 974 pages, here:
http://housedocs.house.gov/energycommerce/ppacacon.pdf

That said, it had spawned 11,000 pages of official regulations as of 2013. Here:
http://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/2013/10/23/affordable-care-act-pages-long/3174499/

[dadfly]

i’ve followed price for years. reminds me of a house coburn. just another dr. turned politician to me. but to each his own. may God bless you.