Posted December 12, 2016
On November 28, 2016, President-elect Donald Trump nominated current House Budget Chair Representative Tom Price for Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS). Price introduced an Affordable Care Act (ACA) replacement plan in 2015 entitled the “Empowering Patients First Act” (EPFA). EPFA suggests extensive healthcare reform applicable to payors in both the public and private sectors. Upon his nomination for HHS Secretary, Price promised that the impending healthcare reform overhaul would bear significant resemblance to his 2015 proposal, which ran on a two-year implementation timeline. While Congress will present the ultimate reform initiative to Price to implement in his new role, Price’s past healthcare reform efforts, both via EPFA and other congressional activities, are likely to help shape the final decisions.