U.S. President-elect Donald Trump on Nov. 29 named a vociferous Obamacare critic and an Indiana policy consultant to help him overhaul the U.S. healthcare system.
Republican Representative Tom Price, an orthopedic surgeon from Georgia, will be Trump’s Health and Human Services secretary, and consultant Seema Verma will lead the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, a powerful agency that oversees government health programs and insurance standards.
Trump cast Price and Verma as a “dream team” to help him once he takes office on Jan. 20, 2017 with his campaign pledge to repeal Obamacare, U.S. President Barack Obama’s signature health law formally known as the Affordable Care Act.
Of Price, Trump said in a statement: “He is exceptionally qualified to shepherd our commitment to repeal and replace Obamacare and bring affordable and accessible healthcare to every American.”
Price said there was much work to be done “to ensure we have a healthcare system that works for patients, families, and doctors” based on “sensible rules to protect the well-being of the country while embracing its innovative spirit.”
The 2010 Obamacare law triggered a long and bitter political battle between the White House and congressional Republicans, who said it created unwarranted government intervention in personal healthcare and private industry.
Trump has said he will replace Obamacare with a plan to give states more control over the Medicaid health plan for the poor and allow insurers to sell plans nationally.
Both positions require Senate confirmation, and the Trump administration will need congressional approval to repeal and replace the health law.