Former Lilly exec confirmed as HHS secretary
Alex Azar is the nation’s latest Secretary of Health and Human Services. Azar, who served as president of Eli Lilly from 2012 to January 2017, was confirmed by the Senate with a 55-to-43 vote.
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Alex Azar[/caption]
Azar is the second HHS secretary in the year-old Trump administration, succeeding Tom Price, who resigned from the position at the end of September.
At his confirmation hearing, Azar said that his focus at the helm of HHS would be on four areas — drug prices, the affordability of healthcare and rising premiums, an outcomes-based focus for Medicare and addressing the opioid epidemic.
“Through my experience helping to implement Part D and with my extensive knowledge of how insurance, manufacturers, pharmacy, and government programs work together, I believe I bring skills and experiences to the table that can help us address these issues, while still encouraging discovery so Americans have access to high-quality care,” Azar said at his confirmation hearing in November.
Senate Finance Committee chairman Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Ia., said that he met with Azar to discuss government transparency and prudent use of taxpayer money as the head the agency overseeing Medicare and Medicaid, and ultimately decided he was the best man for the job.
“During our meeting, he assured me that encouraging competition in the healthcare and pharmaceutical industries and stemming the tide of rising drug prices would be among his top priorities,” Grassley said.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., said that Azar is uniquely qualified for the position.
“It is vital that this department be headed by a leader with Mr. Azar’s extensive qualifications and excellent reputation. He will be responsible for overseeing $1.13 trillion in department spending, supervising critical research, and administering — and reforming — programs that touch millions of Americans’ lives, such as Medicare and Medicaid. I look forward to voting soon in support of his confirmation.”
Grassley, McConnell and the Republican caucus largely carried Azar’s confirmation, with only six Democrats voting to confirm. Several members of the Democratic caucus raised questions about his commitment to lowering drug prices and improve health care given the Administration’s and Congress’ efforts to repeal the Affordable Care Act.
“Let me start by saying that Mr. Azar doesn’t come with the staggering ethical challenges of the first Trump HHS nominee, Tom Price. And by the strict definition, Mr. Azar is qualified for this position,” Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., said before voting against Azar’s confirmation. “But here’s my view: Mr. Azar’s nomination is a perfect encapsulation of the president’s broken promises on prescription drugs and health care overall.”
Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren lodged her concerns, expressing skepticism about the future of accessible healthcare.
“Republicans want to pretend that Alex Azar is totally different from Tom Price because Tom Price was a terrible HHS Secretary who didn't put the American people first. But I don't see the difference,” Warren said. “He will support efforts to repeal the Affordable Care Act, gut efforts to enroll people in health insurance, [and] take away Medicaid from people who need it the most.”
The biopharma industry has welcomed Azar’s confirmation, with the Biotechnology Innovation Organization offering its congratulations. BIO president and CEO Jim Greenwood said his organization looks forward to working with Azar and highlighted the areas that HHS could help the United States health care system.
“The opportunities facing HHS today are enormous,” Greenwood sai. “From encouraging the development of new technologies to help solve the opioid crisis and removing barriers to value-based payment models, to overseeing the [Food and Drug Administration] and [National Institutes of Helath] as they implement landmark new legislation to speed the science and development of new cures and promote greater competition and choice in the marketplace, the decisions made at HHS today will leave a lasting imprint on American health care for decades to come.”
[caption id="attachment_455259" align="alignleft" width="139"]
Alex Azar[/caption]Azar is the second HHS secretary in the year-old Trump administration, succeeding Tom Price, who resigned from the position at the end of September.
At his confirmation hearing, Azar said that his focus at the helm of HHS would be on four areas — drug prices, the affordability of healthcare and rising premiums, an outcomes-based focus for Medicare and addressing the opioid epidemic.
“Through my experience helping to implement Part D and with my extensive knowledge of how insurance, manufacturers, pharmacy, and government programs work together, I believe I bring skills and experiences to the table that can help us address these issues, while still encouraging discovery so Americans have access to high-quality care,” Azar said at his confirmation hearing in November.
Senate Finance Committee chairman Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Ia., said that he met with Azar to discuss government transparency and prudent use of taxpayer money as the head the agency overseeing Medicare and Medicaid, and ultimately decided he was the best man for the job.
“During our meeting, he assured me that encouraging competition in the healthcare and pharmaceutical industries and stemming the tide of rising drug prices would be among his top priorities,” Grassley said.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., said that Azar is uniquely qualified for the position.
“It is vital that this department be headed by a leader with Mr. Azar’s extensive qualifications and excellent reputation. He will be responsible for overseeing $1.13 trillion in department spending, supervising critical research, and administering — and reforming — programs that touch millions of Americans’ lives, such as Medicare and Medicaid. I look forward to voting soon in support of his confirmation.”
Grassley, McConnell and the Republican caucus largely carried Azar’s confirmation, with only six Democrats voting to confirm. Several members of the Democratic caucus raised questions about his commitment to lowering drug prices and improve health care given the Administration’s and Congress’ efforts to repeal the Affordable Care Act.
“Let me start by saying that Mr. Azar doesn’t come with the staggering ethical challenges of the first Trump HHS nominee, Tom Price. And by the strict definition, Mr. Azar is qualified for this position,” Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., said before voting against Azar’s confirmation. “But here’s my view: Mr. Azar’s nomination is a perfect encapsulation of the president’s broken promises on prescription drugs and health care overall.”
Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren lodged her concerns, expressing skepticism about the future of accessible healthcare.
“Republicans want to pretend that Alex Azar is totally different from Tom Price because Tom Price was a terrible HHS Secretary who didn't put the American people first. But I don't see the difference,” Warren said. “He will support efforts to repeal the Affordable Care Act, gut efforts to enroll people in health insurance, [and] take away Medicaid from people who need it the most.”
The biopharma industry has welcomed Azar’s confirmation, with the Biotechnology Innovation Organization offering its congratulations. BIO president and CEO Jim Greenwood said his organization looks forward to working with Azar and highlighted the areas that HHS could help the United States health care system.
“The opportunities facing HHS today are enormous,” Greenwood sai. “From encouraging the development of new technologies to help solve the opioid crisis and removing barriers to value-based payment models, to overseeing the [Food and Drug Administration] and [National Institutes of Helath] as they implement landmark new legislation to speed the science and development of new cures and promote greater competition and choice in the marketplace, the decisions made at HHS today will leave a lasting imprint on American health care for decades to come.”