New HHS Secretary and CMS Administrator Nominees Announced

This week, President-Elect Trump announced that Congressman Tom Price, MD, (R-GA) will become the next Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary. Dr. Price is an orthopedic surgeon and has served in the House of Representatives for 14 years, currently as the Chair of the House Budget Committee.

The American Medical Association (AMA) has come out in support of Dr. Price’s nomination stating that “his service as a physician, state legislator and member of the U.S. Congress provides a depth of experience to lead HHS. Dr. Price has been a leader in the development of health policies to advance patient choice and market-based solutions as well as reduce excessive regulatory burdens that diminish time devoted to patient care and increase costs.” Dr. Price has been a long time member of the AMA House of Delegates and although they differ on some issues such as the passage of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) there have been important policies they agree on such as medical liability reform. The Society has previously worked with Dr. Price and the physician caucus of Congress on health care reform and physician payment issues.

Also, announced this week was the new administrator for the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), Seema Verma. Ms. Verma is the founder and CEO of health policy consulting firm SVC Inc. of Indiana. She served as the State of Indiana’s health reform leader following the passage of the ACA and developed a consumer-driven Medicaid program called Health Indiana Plan. She has a master of public health from Johns Hopkins University and previously worked for the Health and Hospital Corporation of Marion County in Indiana and the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials in Washington, D.C.

The Society looks forward to working with the new administration on issues affecting post-acute and long-term care providers.