What to Know About Trump's Pick for Health Secretary

President-elect Donald Trump has chosen Georgia Rep. Tom Price, a strong critic of the Affordable Care Act, to be his secretary of Health and Human Services, his transition team announced this morning.

Here's what we know about the nation's potential next health secretary.

Name: Thomas Edmunds Price

Party: Republican. He is a member of the Tea Party Caucus.

What he does now: Represents Georgia’s 6th district (Atlanta suburbs) since 2004 in the House of Representatives. He is also chairman of the House Budget Committee.

What he used to do: He previously served as chairman of the House Republican Policy Committee and chairman of the Republican Study Committee. Before entering national politics, Price served four terms in the Georgia State Senate; he was minority whip for two of those terms. Prior to that he was a practicing orthopedic surgeon.

Hometown: Lansing, Michigan

Family Tree: Married to Elizabeth “Betty” Price. One son.

What you might not know about him: He is one of the most prominent critics of the Affordable Care Act and author of an extremely detailed legislative proposal for its replacement. Some of his ideas are included in the House GOP "Better Way" legislative agenda Republicans hope to enact next year.

Price introduced the "Empowering Patients First Act" to the 113th Congress (2013-2014) which is described on his website as "legislation that fully repeals Obamacare and starts over with patient-centered solutions." The bill is almost 250 pages long.

He’s one of only a handful of doctors serving on Capitol Hill: If Price is confirmed by the Senate, he would be the first secretary with a medical background since Dr. Louis W. Sullivan, who served under President George H. W. Bush from 1989-1993. Previous HHS secretaries have all been governors.

History regarding Trump-Pence ticket: Price endorsed Trump near the end of the GOP primary in May. He was one of the first House committee chairmen to endorse the presidential candidate.

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from ABC News: Politics http://ift.tt/2gtIEct

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