Donald Trump has nominated Georgia Republican Tom Price to head the Health and Human Services Department.
Price chairs the House Budget Committee at present, and is a six-term member of the House. Prior to getting involved in the politics, he was an orthopedic surgeon and also taught at Emory School of Medicine.
He is known to have opposed Affordable Care Act, and wanted to overhaul Medicare and Medicaid.
Price supports pro-life policies and took part in 2011 March for Life, an annual pro-life rally held in Washington DC.
"He has a 100 percent pro-life record and is well positioned to champion truly comprehensive health care. He helped lead the charge to defund Planned Parenthood through budget reconciliation," said Marjorie Dannenfelser, President of Susan B. Anthony List, a pro-life group with over 465,000 members around the country.
He is also against the birth-control mandate, through which birth control options are provided without a copay. He has maintained that there is no need for this provision.
"Chairman Price, a renowned physician, has earned a reputation for being a tireless problem solver and the go-to expert on healthcare policy, making him the ideal choice to serve in this capacity," 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. I am proud to nominate him as Secretary of Health and Human Services."
Price had suggested turning Medicaid into a block grant, which would hand over the reins of the program as well as the funding to the states.
At present Medicaid funding is shared between the federal government and states, and each pays a fixed proportion of the costs incurred by the program in states. The percentage of government share in the program varies across states depending on average income of people.
Religious and pro-life groups welcomed the nomination of Price as the head of HHS.
Senior fellow with The Catholic Association, Ashley McGuire, released the following statement:
"President-elect Trump has made an excellent choice in Rep. Price as Secretary of HHS. In particular, Rep. Price's strong pro-life values and record to match make him the right man to reform an agency that has been marred by its aggressive abortion agenda. The Department of HHS caused the largest religious liberty class-action lawsuit in American history when it tried to force religious employers and charities like the Little Sisters of the Poor to pay for and provide things like abortion pills in their healthcare plans. We are confident that Rep. Price will finally put an end to the anti-religious liberty HHS mandate, as well as introduce comprehensive reforms to restore the agency as one that genuinely promotes healthcare that respects human life and dignity."
