The Senate Finance Committee will hold a vote Jan. 31 to decide whether Rep. Tom Price, R-Ga., will have a chance to oversee the multibillion-dollar budget of the Department of Health and Human Services.
The vote comes after two confirmation hearings,
one less courteous than
the other, during which committee members from both parties questioned Price about his vision for how health care should function in the country. Price, largely light on specifics, reiterated his desire to help create a health care infrastructure that provided "access to health care" for all citizens.
Previous legislation that
Price floated as an ACA replacement plan would create high-risk pools through which consumers could purchase insurance and provide tax credits to other consumers to help them afford coverage.
Price was tabbed by President Donald Trump to help steer the still-under-wraps replacement for the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and has
long been an opponent of President Barack Obama's signature health care law.
Since his nomination, Price has
come under scrutiny for stock trading tied to medical companies that were linked to legislation he would later introduce.
Led by Chairman Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, the Senate Finance Committee has 26 members, 14 of whom are Republicans.