Price Avoids Being Pinned Down On Details During Grilling At Second Senate Hearing
Despite Democrats pressing HHS nominee Tom Price on the future of the health law, Medicare and Medicaid, Price mostly demurred and downplayed the role he will have in such decisions. Ethical questions regarding the Georgia congressman's stock investments were also raised.
The New York Times:
Tom Price’s Heated Hearing Is Unlikely To Derail His Nomination
In a heated confirmation hearing that focused on ethical issues, President Trump’s nominee for secretary of health and human services, Representative Tom Price, defended his trading of medical and pharmaceutical stocks on Tuesday, saying, “Everything that I did was ethical, aboveboard, legal and transparent.” Democrats accused Mr. Price of a potential conflict of interest at a hearing of the Senate Finance Committee, saying he held more than $100,000 in stock in companies that could have benefited from legislation he promoted. Mr. Price, a Georgia Republican, denied any wrongdoing. (Pear and Kaplan, 1/24)
Los Angeles Times:
Trump's Health Secretary Pick Faces Scrutiny Over Reform Plans In Round 2 Of Senate Hearings
Democrats on the finance panel repeatedly quizzed Price about what would happen to patients. Price kept his answers vague. In a round of questions about Medicare, Sen. Bob Menendez (D-N.J.) asked: “Are you willing to commit that we won’t see increased costs or less coverage for seniors under a revision of Medicare that you might advocate or that the president might pursue?” Price responded: “Our goal is to make certain that seniors have access to the highest quality healthcare possible at an affordable price.” (Levey, 1/24)
In other national health care news —
USA Today:
Trump Hiring Freeze Includes The Short-Staffed VA
A federal hiring freeze imposed by President Trump on Monday affects thousands of open jobs at the Department of Veterans Affairs, despite the half-million veterans still waiting longer than a month for VA appointments. White House press secretary Sean Spicer confirmed Tuesday that the VA is covered under the freeze, which exempted the military and other positions deemed necessary for national security and public safety. (Slack, 1/24)
CNN:
GOP In Health Care Holding Pattern Heading Into Philly Getaway
Republican lawmakers are heading to Philadelphia Wednesday for two days of intensive work on replacing Obamacare with hopes that some of the biggest questions can be answered by the often confounding President Donald Trump. House and Senate Republicans will pack the city, not far from where Democrats nominated Hillary Clinton just six months ago, for their annual retreat -- and crafting a replacement plan for Obamacare is at the top of their list. (LoBianco, 1/25)
The Washington Post:
Key House Committee Will Hold Hearings On First Obamacare Replacement Bills Next Week
In a sign that Republican lawmakers are set to move swiftly on plans to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act, key House committees are scheduling hearings and drafting legislation to unravel former president Barack Obama’s major domestic achievement. On Tuesday, the House Budget Committee is holding a hearing titled “The Failures of Obamacare: Harmful Effects and Broken Promises,” while the Ways and Means Committee is set to examine the “effectiveness” of the individual mandate to buy insurance, a linchpin of the ACA’s model to expand insurance and make it more affordable. (DeBonis, 1/24)
The New York Times:
Are New Drugs For Hepatitis C Safe? A Report Raises Concerns
Drugs approved in recent years that can cure hepatitis C may have severe side effects, including liver failure, a new report suggests. The number of adverse events appears relatively small, and the findings are not conclusive. But experts said the report was a warning that should not be ignored. It involves nine widely used antiviral drugs that were heralded as a huge advance because they greatly increased cure rates, seemingly with few side effects. (Grady, 1/24)
The Washington Post:
Judge Says Aetna Dropped Out Of Some Obamacare Markets To Help Win Its Merger Fight
Aetna announced it would pull out of most of the state exchanges where it sold health insurance under the Affordable Care Act last August, citing financial losses. But a U.S. District Court judge who rejected the company's proposed merger with Humana on Monday revealed in his opinion that profitability wasn't the only concern driving the company's decision -- Aetna also exited several markets as part of an effort to "improve its litigation position." (Johnson, 1/24)