Price to face grilling on Trump’s order to weaken Obamacare
Rep. Tom Price, President Donald Trump’s pick to run HHS, will likely face a barrage of questions Tuesday about how he’ll wield the president’s order telling federal agencies to do everything in their power to weaken Obamacare.
The executive order issued hours after Trump was inaugurated clears the way for the swift and unilateral rollback of large parts of Obamacare, but it also puts Price in a dicey position after he told lawmakers last week the new administration wouldn’t “pull the rug out” from under people now covered by the health care law.
Price during his confirmation hearing at the Senate Finance Committee on Tuesday will also face a grilling from Democrats about his investments and allegations he improperly benefited from a sweetheart deal. Efforts to clear up questions about health care holdings during last week’s Senate HELP Committee hearing on his nomination only muddied the waters further and require investigation, Democrats said.
Tuesday’s hearing marks the second major test in a week for Price, who struggled at last week’s hearing to offer a clear blueprint for replacing Obamacare. Questioned by both Democrats and Republicans about his preferred replacement, he demurred, calling it a “legislative question” rather than an administrative one he’d handle as HHS secretary. At the same time, though, he assured lawmakers that the 20 million Americans insured through Obamacare wouldn’t lose coverage — a promise that could be hard to keep if Trump’s administration starts dismantling the law before Congress has readied a replacement plan.
Trump’s executive order on Obamacare has already heightened fears that he could move too fast to unwind the law, creating chaos in the health insurance markets despite the GOP’s promise for an orderly transition away from Obamacare.
“I think that the executive order is very confusing, and that we really don’t know yet what the impact will be,” said Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine), who’s cautioned against repealing the Affordable Care Act without a replacement plan in place. “We want to ensure that individuals relying on the current system do not experience a needless and avoidable gap in coverage.”
Democrats, who likely can’t prevent Price’s confirmation, hope to paint the six-term congressman as ultra-conservative and beholden to powerful health care interests. Price most recently authored an Obamacare replacement bill in 2015 and has advocated for a system that provides only “access” to insurance, not a guarantee. He’s also endorsed overhauling both Medicare and Medicaid, putting the open-ended entitlement programs on a stricter budget. That contradicts Trump’s own statements promising not to touch Medicare and providing “insurance for everyone” — though Trump has backtracked from the latter pledge and now talks up “access” to coverage.
Democrats will also continue to push for an investigation into whether Price illegally invested in health care companies. In last week’s HELP Committee hearing, Price admitted to personally investing in Australian biotech firm Innate Immunotherapeutics in a private sale on the recommendation of Rep. Chris Collins, who sits on the company’s board. That contradicted the Trump team’s earlier assertions that Price leaves his trading decisions to his broker, and has prompted calls from Democrats to delay Price’s confirmation vote until a full ethics investigation is conducted.
“If they don’t have a clean bill of health, then forget it, they don’t go any further,” said Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.). “If there’s allegations made, they’re going to have to clear that up first.”
Rep. Louise Slaughter (D-N.Y.), who in 2012 authored the STOCK Act banning lawmakers from profiting off nonpublic information, has asked securities regulators to investigate Price’s health care trades. On Monday, eight Senate Democrats joined the call for an SEC investigation.
The growing scrutiny surrounding Price’s health care interests could test some in the GOP, but so far there’s little indication it’s swayed any votes. HELP Committee Republicans last week uniformly praised Price, who is seen as a crucial figure in uniting the GOP on health care policy. Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), a Finance Committee member and strong advocate of the STOCK Act, said he’s yet to see convincing evidence come out against Price.
“I’m just trying to be fair and understand a very strong law, and if they haven’t made a judgment against him, then that speaks big for me,” Grassley said. “So you kind of got to wait until the process works out.”
Still, Price’s investments have provided Democrats with fresh ammo heading into Tuesday’s hearing and sparked hope that — at the very least — they can ensure Price will enter office under a cloud of suspicion.
On Thursday, ProPublica reported that Price’s office pressured an HHS research agency to remove a study critical of a heart drug from its website. The drug is owned by a company whose CEO had recently donated to Price’s campaign. That came on top of earlier reports that Price invested in multiple health care companies that stood to benefit from legislation he wrote or supported.
“The next secretary of Health and Human Services will have enormous impact on the health and wellbeing of families nationwide, and we owe it to those families to ensure the person taking on this role will put their interests first,” said Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.), who called for the SEC to investigate Price. “There are still serious ethical concerns surrounding Congressman Price’s stock trades.”
Price contends his investments have followed ethical guidelines and he’s pledged to divest his holdings if confirmed as HHS secretary. He grew visibly angry at times during last week’s hearing as Democrats pointedly questioned whether his investments influenced his legislation
“I’m offended by the insinuation, Senator,” Price shot back after Sen. Elizabeth Warren suggested he used his congressional position to benefit his bank account.
Paul Demko and Rachana Pradhan contributed to this report.