WASHINGTON – Rep. Tom Price, MD (R-Ga.), dodged specifics on Medicaid reform and the issue of block grants for funding Medicaid during a hearing Jan. 24 before the Senate Financing Committee.
The committee will be voting to move forward to the full Senate his nomination as secretary of the Department of Health & Human Services.
Rep. Tom Price
Sen. Robert Casey (D-Penn.) queried Rep. Price about guarantees as to whether people with disabilities covered by Medicaid would continue to be covered under a block grant program. Rep. Price responded that the “metrics that we will use ... [are] the quality of care and whether or not they are receiving that care.”
Rep. Price added that he is committed “to make it so they have that [current level of existing] coverage or greater.” Sen. Casey questioned whether that goal could be achieved, considering the amount of funding that could potentially be lost to a block grant program.
When further pressed on the 2017 budget he prepared as House Budget Committee chairman that included block grants for Medicaid, Rep. Price would not state clearly his promotion of the concept. Instead, he said he was committed to creating a system that is affordable, accessible, of high quality, and responsive to patient needs, as well as one that incentivizes innovation and provides choice.
Rep. Price was also pressed on his advocacy of high-risk pools, particularly for those who have high-cost, preexisting conditions and might not be able to get coverage in other areas of the reformed market. He voiced his support for such pools as well as for pools that would allow people without a common economic link, such as an employer, to band together for insurance coverage.
Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.) noted that the history of high-risk pools has been less than stellar, with insurance rates typically 150%-200% higher than the rates of other plans and, typically, lifetime caps on coverage.
Rep. Price additionally called for a “better” system that puts patients at the center of health care decisions. In response to discussion with Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), Rep. Price said transparency, specifically in relation to the Physician Payments Sunshine Act, was “vital,” and expanded the notion of transparency to include outcomes and pricing so that patients could have the best information to make decisions about their own health care.
It is “virtually impossible” for patients to know their true health care costs, Rep. Price said. To be informed, patients need better outcome measures, which would be “a priority” if he is confirmed as secretary.
Rep. Price also agreed that the Children’s Health Insurance Plan should be extended, and when asked about extending the program for 5 years, he responded that “8 years would be better.”
In the area of mental health, he suggested treatment models similar to those used to address physical health.
Rep. Price was not grilled on his investments at the Finance Committee hearing as he was at the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee hearing, where he maintained he did nothing unethical or against the rules of the Senate.
Separate from the hearing, eight Democratic senators, led by Ranking Member Patty Murray of Washington, sent a Jan. 23 letter to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission to investigate whether Rep. Price potentially engaged in insider trading or other violations in relation to his specific purchase of stock in Innate Immunotherapeutics.