President-elect Donald Trump has selected Rep. Tom Price (R-Ga.), a leading proponent of repealing the Affordable Care Act, as his nominee for Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS). To head the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), Trump has chosen Seema Verma, a health policy consultant. She helped design Indiana's conservative Medicaid expansion, which emphasizes “personal responsibility.”
"Together, Chairman Price and Seema Verma are the dream team that will transform our healthcare system for the benefit of all Americans," Trump said in a statement.
Price, an orthopedic surgeon turned politician, has introduced bills offering a detailed plan to replace the ACA since before it was enacted. His plan involves age-based tax credits and incentives for contributing to health savings accounts. He also has proposed legislation that would make it easier for doctors to enter into private contracts with Medicare beneficiaries.
Verma worked with Indiana governor Mike Pence, the vice president-elect, in crafting Healthy Indiana 2.0, a Medicaid expansion program that requires monthly contributions to health savings accounts. The journal Health Affairs called it “the most significant departure from traditional Medicaid ever approved by the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services.”
Both Price and Verma must be confirmed by the Senate.
For New York Times coverage, click here and here.
For Modern Healthcare articles on the nominations and on Verma, click here and here (free registration required).
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