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Donald Trump announced this week that he had chosen Rep. Tom Price (R., Ga.), a leader in the efforts to replace ObamaCare, to be his secretary of Health and Human Services. This is a consequential choice. Mr. Trump’s election, and the political realignment it represents, offers a generational opportunity to pursue a new direction for American health care. Mr. Price will now be leading the charge. (James C. Capretta and Scott Gottlieb, 11/30)

Rep. Tom Price (R-Ga.) will govern the nation’s sprawling health-care programs next year — if, that is, the Senate confirms him to head the Department of Health and Human Services. Since President-elect Donald Trump tapped Mr. Price to join the Cabinet, senior Democrats have signaled they may make his confirmation difficult, in part because he has pushed very conservative ideas about how to remake health-care policy — including an Obamacare replacement plan that would be tougher on the poor and the sick than some other GOP proposals. (11/30)

President-elect Trump announced this week that he will nominate Republican congressman and fervent Obamacare opponent Tom Price to be his secretary of health and human services, which seemingly makes the possibility of Obamacare being repealed that much more likely. After all, Price, who has actually drafted an Obamacare replacement bill, would be the ideal person to fulfill Trump and the GOP’s pledge to scrap President Obama’s signature legislative accomplishment. But what remains unexplained is: Why? (Michael Cohen, 11/30)

House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.), whose acknowledgment that the Benghazi hearings were political lost him the speakership, now has his second stupidest comment. He wants to repeal Obamacare now and replace it later. “Once it’s repealed, why wouldn’t [Democrats] be willing to vote for a replacement? Right? You have no other options.” Thunk. (Jennifer Rubin, 11/30)

During the Obama years, congressional Republicans could rail away at the Affordable Care Act and vote endlessly to repeal it, secure in the knowledge that they would never have to deal with the consequences of repeal actually happening. At the same time, they could claim they wanted to keep the popular parts (protections for people with preexisting conditions) without explaining how that might be accomplished while jettisoning the unpopular parts (the individual mandate). But now, repeal has suddenly become a reality. (Greg Sargent, 11/30)

Donald Trump’s pledge to “repeal and replace Obamacare” was one of his biggest crowd pleasers. It’s been noted, of course, that “repeal and replacing” is easier said than done, and indeed the President-elect has already begun to fudge. But moving forward on his broad replacement themes—expanding health savings accounts (HSAs) and state flexibility—could lead to some surprising and intriguing reforms. (Stuart Butler, 11/30)

On November 8, 2016, Republicans won the presidency and retained control of the US House and Senate in Congress. The composition of the Senate shift will profoundly affect the passage of new legislation. With only 52 Republicans in the Senate, the Republican Senate leadership will have to ensure that all Republicans support any legislation because a few defections on an issue could push them into a minority position. More challenging is that except for budget-related legislation, which can pass with only a simple majority, other legislation, including much of an Affordable Care Act (ACA) replacement bill, will require the support of 60 votes in the Senate to circumvent a filibuster. (Gail R. Wilensky, 11/28)

Also known as Obamacare, the ACA is neither perfect nor as flawed as the many Republican leaders believe. Much more can be done to make health insurance affordable and accessible to all Americans. But getting rid of Obamacare would be a step backward.The Affordable Care Act has helped millions of Americans get health care, thanks in a large part to the expansion of Medicaid. (11/30)

I recently met with President-elect Donald Trump on how we can undo the terrible damage of Obamacare and reinvent great health care for America’s future. (Gov. Rick Scott, 11/30)

In most of the United States, anyone poor enough to qualify for Medicaid simply receives whatever care doctors recommend at minimal cost. But many Medicaid enrollees in Indiana can’t get full benefits unless they pay monthly premiums, and some who fail to pay can be shut out of coverage entirely for six months. If they go to the emergency room too often, they have to pay a fee. (Margot Sanger-Katz, 12/1)

Could bundled payments be the key to keeping struggling hospitals healthy? The American Hospital Association seems to think so and it's planning on lobbying for several legislative changes including loosening anti-kickback laws to allow financial agreements between hospitals and other healthcare providers. (Virgil Dickson, 11/30)