Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
HHS Nominee To Be Grilled At Senate Hearing About Pharma Ties, Any Plans To Cut Medicare
Alex Azar, the White House鈥檚 choice to become the second health and human services secretary in less than a year, will appear for his Senate confirmation hearing Tuesday, giving Democrats a chance to probe his drug industry ties but not halt his path toward joining the president鈥檚 Cabinet. The 10 a.m. hearing before the Senate Finance Committee will give Azar鈥檚 Democratic critics a forum to contend that his role in helping to approve rising pharmaceutical prices while a top executive of Eli Lilly means he is ill-suited to carry out President Trump鈥檚 stated goal of making medicines more affordable. (Goldstein and Eilperin, 1/8)
President Donald Trump鈥檚 pick for Health and Human Services secretary is on the verge of taking control of the department with a clear mandate: Take down Obamacare from the inside. With Republicans stalled on repeal, the GOP is looking to Alex Azar to put a conservative stamp on the health care system through shrewd rulemaking and the use of expansive regulatory powers 鈥 and all without the help of a Congress that鈥檚 failed to scrap the 2010 health care law. (Cancryn, 1/9)
A group of House Democrats want the Senate Finance Committee to question President Trump鈥檚 nominee for Health and Human Services secretary about high drug prices at his former employer, Eli Lilly. In a letter to Finance Committee leaders, led by Texas Reps. Beto O'Rourke and Lloyd Doggett, the Democrats said Alex Azar should also be pressed on his commitment to uphold the Affordable Care Act, otherwise known as ObamaCare. (Weixel, 1/8)
Until about a year ago, nominee Alex Azar was an executive at drugmaker Eli Lilly & Co., a role that鈥檚 fueled lawmakers鈥 concerns that he might not be willing to take a tough stance against the pharmaceutical industry on drug prices. Azar told senators at a November hearing that he wants to end 鈥済aming鈥 by drugmakers that allows them to extend monopolies and keep prices high, an idea backed by both Republicans and Democrats. His commitment to a crackdown may receive extra scrutiny during the Senate Finance Committee hearing after Politico reported that Lilly gained extra time on its exclusive sales rights to the erection drug Cialis by studying studying its effects on a rare muscular disorder in children. (Edney, 1/8)
A leading pro-ObamaCare group is urging senators to vote "no" on President Trump鈥檚聽Health and Human Services secretary nominee, saying he will continue a campaign of 鈥渟abotage鈥 against the health law. The group, Protect Our Care, unveiled a digital ad that urges lawmakers to oppose the nominee, Alex Azar. (Sullivan, 1/8)
