Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Democrats Put Pressure On Price Over Stocks, Nominee Says It Was All 'Above Board'
President-elect Donald Trump's nominee to head the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services defended his stock holdings and proposals to dismantle Obamacare on Wednesday, saying Americans would not suddenly lose health insurance. (Clarke and Cornwell, 1/18)
Price denied profiting from inside information, or benefiting from legislation he helped author. "Everything that we have done," Price said, "has been above board, transparent and legal." (Naylor, 1/18)
One factor making it easier for Trump鈥檚 nominees to prevail in the GOP-controlled Senate is a 2013 rule change 鈥 ironically, one that was engineered over Republican objections by the Democrats who were then in the majority. It ended the ability of senators to filibuster Cabinet nominees, which means that nominees can be confirmed with 51 votes. There are 52 Republicans in the chamber.聽鈥淲hat鈥檚 different now is that [blocking a nominee] is going to require Republicans to stand up to their own president,鈥 said Jim Manley, a longtime aide to former minority leader Harry M. Reid (D-Nev.). (Tumulty, Wagner and O'Keefe, 1/18)
Price said he learned of the drugmaker from Representative Chris Collins, a Republican who sits on the board of the company, but wasn鈥檛 privy to non-public information before purchasing the stock. He said he paid market price for Innate shares in 2015, but may have paid a lower price for three additional purchases. (Edney and Tracer, 1/18)
Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) demanded to know whether Price had actively tried to "help the company that you now own stock in." It was one of the only moments in the nearly four-hour grilling by the Senate HELP Committee when Price flashed anger. "I'm offended by the insinuation, senator," he responded. (Diamond, 1/18)
Price and his longtime friend, Senate Ethics Chairman Johnny Isakson, R-Ga., defended Price's purchases. Price said his broker bought shares in one medical device company without his knowledge and others were part of mutual fund or pension plan purchases that are made on behalf of many members. Sen. Christopher Murphy, D-Conn., raised the issue of Price's stock purchases in six companies that would have been hurt by a Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services pilot project that Price led opposition to in the House.聽More ominously, Murray peppered Price for details on his purchase of stock in the company Innate Immunotherapeutics after discussing the company with Trump transition official Rep. Chris Collins, R-N.Y., a large shareholder who sits on the company's board. Price acknowledged he directed his broker to make the purchases. Murray pointed out that was soon before Senate action on the 21st Century Cures Act, which benefited drug companies. (O'Donnell, 1/18)
Rep. Tom Price, President-elect Donald Trump鈥檚 pick to run the Department of Health and Human Services, said he purchased stock in an Australian biomedical firm after discussing the company with a fellow congressman who sits on its board. (Grimaldi and Hackman, 1/18)
On the other side of the hearing bench聽鈥
President-elect Donald Trump鈥檚 pick to run Health and Human Services is taking heat for his controversial stock holdings in companies affected by laws he鈥檚 worked on and voted for. But federal records show several senators who will take part in his confirmation hearings have substantial health-related holdings as well. (Lupkin, 1/18)
