Former Pharma Executive, Health Law Critic Tapped For Top HHS Spot
President Donald Trump, in announcing the nomination, says Alex Azar will be "a star" at lowering drug prices, but his ties to the industry raise immediate concerns from critics.
The New York Times:
Former Eli Lilly Executive Is Trump’s Choice For Health Secretary
President Trump, who has repeatedly assailed pharmaceutical companies for the high cost of prescription medications in the United States, nominated on Monday a former executive of one of the nation’s largest drug companies to be secretary of health and human services, which has responsibility for regulating the pharmaceutical industry. Mr. Trump announced his choice of Alex M. Azar II, a former president of the American division of Eli Lilly and a health official in the George W. Bush administration, on Twitter while traveling in Asia. (Shear, 11/13)
The Washington Post:
Trump Picks Alex Azar To Lead Health And Human Services
In announcing his decision on Monday, Trump tweeted that Azar “will be a star for better healthcare and lower drug prices!” He has a close rapport with the department’s top political appointees as well as Vice President Pence. Azar has been highly critical of the Affordable Care Act, saying in interviews in recent months that the law was “certainly circling the drain” and that many of its problems “were entirely predictable as a matter of economic and individual behavior.” (Eilperin and Goldstein, 11/13)
The Associated Press:
Trump Turns To Drug Industry For His New Health Secretary
If confirmed, Alex Azar would oversee a $1 trillion department responsible for major health insurance programs, including "Obamacare," as well as medical research, food and drug safety, and public health. The nomination of Azar is unusual because Health and Human Services secretaries have come from the ranks of elected officials such as governors, leaders in academia and medicine, or top executive branch managers — not industries regulated by the department. (Alonso-Zaldivar, 11/13)
The Wall Street Journal:
Trump Nominates Alex Azar As Health And Human Services Secretary
The choice of a detail-oriented lawyer familiar with the workings of the federal government drew praise from Republicans, who said that Mr. Azar would bring significant institutional knowledge to the job. Some consumer groups criticized Mr. Azar’s pharmaceuticals background, saying he might neglect to focus on lowering drug costs. Democrats also said they would press broad objections to the administration’s desire to overturn the ACA during his confirmation process. (Armour and Radnofsky, 11/13)
Los Angeles Times:
Trump Goes A Different Direction In His Choice Of Health And Human Services Secretary
[A]mong many of those those well-versed in healthcare policy, Azar's pick was seen as heartening. Andy Slavitt, who oversaw Medicare, Medicaid and insurance markets during the Obama administration, said that while he differed with any Trump pick over "political values…realistically, it could have been a helluva lot worse." "He's somebody who has been a career civil servant; he has a lot of respect for the people in the department and that's a good start," Slavitt said. (Decker, 11/13)