美国国家公共电台 NPR 5 Things To Listen For At The Hearing With Trump's HHS Nominee

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RACHEL MARTIN, HOST: 

Now to one of Donald Trump¹'s most politically important Cabinet picks. Georgia Congressman² Tom Price goes before the Senate Health Committee today to make the case that he should be the next secretary of Health and Human Services. Price is a doctor, an orthopedic surgeon, in fact. And he's worked on budget and health care issues during his time in Congress.

He's been a vocal³ critic of Obamacare. So Democrats⁵ are sure to grill⁶ him about Republicans' plans to repeal⁷ and replace the law. And as NPR's Alison Kodjak reports, Price is also likely to face questions about his own finances.

ALISON KODJAK, BYLINE⁸: Price's ethics⁹ reports show he traded in dozens of stocks while he served in Congress. Those include shares of pharmaceutical¹⁰ companies and medical device makers¹¹. Several news outlets¹², including The Wall Street Journal, have reported that Price traded in those stocks while he sponsored legislation that could have increased their value. Senator Patty Murray, the ranking Democrat⁴ on the committee, is promising¹³ to ask Price a lot of questions.

PATTY MURRAY: We want to know who he met with and when, whether the transactions in question were initiated¹⁴ by a broker¹⁵ or by Congressman Price himself, what, if any, nonpublic information Congressman Price had when those transactions were made and exactly how much profit he made from each transaction.

KODJAK: Murray says the committee needs to ensure that Price was acting¹⁶ on behalf of the public rather than himself. That's the standard for all government employees. A Trump transition spokesman says Price's stocks are held in a broker-directed account, and the broker buys and sells without Price's knowledge. He also points out that some Democratic senators also hold individual company stocks in their portfolios¹⁸. The spokesman says the Office of Government Ethics has determined¹⁹ that Price complied with congressional disclosure rules.

Along with ethics, Price is going to have to talk about the incoming administration's plans for Obamacare. Lawmakers have already taken steps to repeal the Affordable²⁰ Care Act. And Price has been a vocal opponent of the law. He's proposed a replacement²¹ that would offer people tax credits to buy insurance on the private market. But those credits would often be smaller than the subsidies²² offered under Obamacare. Price's plan also promotes the use of tax-free health savings²³ accounts to pay for medical costs.

Senator Bernie Sanders, who wants universal health care, says Price's ideas will result in fewer people being covered. He spoke¹⁷ to reporters yesterday just after meeting with the nominee²⁴.

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BERNIE SANDERS: My major concern is that I believe his approach would make a difficult situation right now even worse.

KODJAK: And lurking²⁵ in the background will be the words of President-elect Donald Trump, who said a few days ago that he too wants health care for everyone. But Trump didn't give any details on how that would happen. Alison Kodjak, NPR News, Washington.