| By Rachel Roubein President Trump's pick to lead the Department of Health and Human Services will face an hours-long grilling from lawmakers on Tuesday. It won't be the first time for Alex Azar, who faced the Senate Health Committee last month in what was billed as a courtesy hearing. But this time, he'll be before the Senate Finance Committee, which is charged with sending his nomination to the Senate floor. Expect Democrats to question Azar on how he would lower the cost of prescription drugs given his background as a former pharmaceutical executive, his stances on what Democrats call the Trump administration's attempts to sabotage ObamaCare, and his views on a variety of other issues, such as block grants for Medicaid, women's health and more. In announcing the hearing, Senate Finance Committee Chairman Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) praised Azar and previewed Tuesday's hearing. "Mr. Azar has demonstrated that he has what it takes to lead the Department of Health and Human Services and that he will tackle the challenges facing the American healthcare system head-on," Hatch said in a statement. The "hearing will give Finance Committee members a firsthand opportunity to hear from Mr. Azar about his plans to help mitigate Obamacare's corrosive effects, while ensuring Medicare and Medicaid are strengthened and maintained. This hearing is an important step in advancing a fair and transparent vetting of this nominee." It appears, so far, that he is likely to be confirmed. Sen. Rand Paul (Ky.) expressed concerns with Azar, and was the only GOP lawmaker to do so in the health panel's hearing. On the Senate floor, Azar can only afford to lose one Republican vote -- assuming all Democrats oppose the nomination and Vice President Pence breaks a tie -- and still be confirmed as the new HHS secretary. Trump first tapped Azar to lead HHS in mid-November, following the resignation of Tom Price after Politico reported he took repeated trips on government and private jets costing taxpayers more than $1 million. Because Azar wasn't confirmed before the end of the year, Trump will have to officially re-nominate him, and he's expected to do so. Azar has previously held top positions at the department, serving under President George W. Bush as its general counsel from 2001 to 2005 and as its deputy secretary for two years after that. His former co-workers say he's fluent in the regulatory process, which could come in handy as the administration looks to change ObamaCare administratively. After leaving HHS, Azar worked at the pharmaceutical company Eli Lilly for nearly a decade, serving most recently as the president of Lilly USA, a post he left last January. The company reportedly substantially increased the price of insulin while Azar was there. In his opening remarks in front of the Senate Health Committee, Azar said, "Drug prices are too high. The president has made this clear. So have I." Also on Capitol Hill, lawmakers will be working to keep the government's lights on. Multiple health care issues are caught up in that effort, including a long-term reauthorization of the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) and community health centers, and a push to delay or repeal several ObamaCare taxes. Lawmakers will need to race against the clock. Before the holidays, Congress passed a stop-gap measure funding the government until Jan. 19. This included $2.85 billion for CHIP and $550 million for community health centers through the end of March. The funding in the short-term spending bill is expected to last all states' CHIP programs at least through Jan. 19, according to a Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) spokesperson. "However due to a number of variables relating to state expenditure rates and reporting we are unable to say with certainty whether there is enough funding for every state to continue its CHIP program through March 31, 2018," the spokesperson wrote in an emailed statement. The medical device and insurance industry have been working hard to delay or repeal ObamaCare taxes set to go into effect in 2018. Congress has expressed an interest in doing so, and industry is pushing for its inclusion in a larger spending bill. Hearings The Senate Finance Committee will convene at 10 a.m. Tuesday to consider Azar's nomination. Also on Tuesday, the Senate Health Committee will hold a 10 a.m. hearing titled "The Opioid Crisis: An Examination of How We Got Here and How We Move Forward." In case you missed It Trump poised to take action on Medicaid work requirements Wolff book: Trump privately floated 'Medicare for all' Conservatives press for ObamaCare repeal ahead of Trump meeting with GOP Trump offers new rule going after ObamaCare Largest US insurance trade group opposes Trump's new health proposal White House: Trump hasn't shifted on not cutting entitlements CDC schedules briefing on preparing for nuclear detonation Hospital groups dig in after cuts to discount drug program Clinton: Short-term CHIP extension 'doesn't cut it' House GOP whip: Entitlement reform, ObamaCare repeal on 2018 agenda | 
沒有留言:
張貼留言