Secretary of Health & Human Services: Tom Price
Summary
Conversations about Tom Price, Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), will center around his policies and not his person. As a former orthopedic surgeon and representative from the state of Georgia for over a decade, Price certainly has the experience to run HHS. There are questions about whether he unethically used government information to profit on of the stock market, but the allegations haven't become a real scandal, at least not yet. Whether or not you think he’s a good appointment will almost certainly depend on whether you agree with his policies. Price is typically conservative on most issues (e.g., opposes gun control, stem cell research, marriage equality, regulations on business, tax incentives for green energy). Considering his medical experience, he’s most vocal on health related issues. If someone brings up Price, get ready to talk Obama’s Affordable Care Act (ACA, Obamacare), contraception, Planned Parenthood, or abortion.
NOTE: Currently we only have a page on the Obamacare debate, in which we cover Price’s proposed alternative. Pages on Planned Parenthood, women’s health, and abortion rights are in progress.
Background
The Department of Health and Human Services
- The HHS’s main job is to provide services and support programs that protect and improve the quality of health and well-being of all Americans.
- The HHS oversees and operates 11 different departments including the Center for Disease Control, the Food & Drug Administration, and the National Institute of Health, which all have significant roles in researching and regulating consumable goods.
- The HHS is the largest federal department and receives the most funding. Those resources are primarily used to operate and fund Medicaid and Medicare.
- The HHS secretary advises the president on national health and welfare issues. The secretary also has considerable influence over future budget amounts and allocation.
Tom Price
- Originally an orthopedic surgeon, Price became a Georgia state senator in 1996, and then a member of the House of Representatives in 2005.
- Price sponsored the Empowering Patients First Act (EPFA) as an alternative to the ACA even before the ACA was enacted. Like other Republican alternatives to the ACA, the EPFA provides tax deductions and credits for purchasing insurance and proposes that states offer insurance options to high-risk uninsured people.
- Tom Price is one of many Republicans seeking to defund Planned Parenthood and remove the birth control mandate.