Senate Confirms Former Pharma Exec Alex Azar as Next HHS Secretary
Alex Azar, former pharmaceutical company executive and HHS Deputy Secretary under the G. W. Bush Administration, will serve as the next HHS Secretary.
Source: Xtelligent Media
By - Former Eli Lilly executive Alex Azar will now head the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) after Senators confirmed his nomination this afternoon in a 55 to 43 vote.
The Trump Administration nominated Azar back in November 2017 after former HHS Secretary and Georgia Congressman Tom Price resigned. Price faced accusations that he spent at least $400,000 of taxpayer dollars on bills for chartered flights.
Azar will now replace Acting HHS Secretary Eric Hagan, who has led the federal department since Price’s resignation.
President Trump explained that he tapped Azar as the next HHS Secretary because he “will be a star for better healthcare and lower drug prices!”
Azar served as a top executive at the pharmaceutical company, Eli Lilly, for about a decade. The global company manufactures brand-name drugs, such as Cialis, Humulin, and Trulicity. Azar resigned from the company in January 2017.
Using his experience as big pharma executive, Azar expects to lower prescription drug costs, a top priority for the Trump Administration. In a recent Senate Finance Committee meeting, Azar emphasized his intentions to lower drug costs as HHS Secretary despite Senators questioning his role in prescription drug rate increases at Eli Lilly.
The new HHS Secretary also told Senators that he plans to prioritize making healthcare more affordable, reimbursing Medicare providers for high-value care, and addressing the opioid epidemic.
Additionally, Azar voiced his support for mandatory bundled payment models during the meeting. CMS recently canceled two upcoming compulsory bundled payment models and promised to deliver more voluntary models in their place.
However, Azar explained that mandatory demonstrations are necessary in some situations to move providers to value-based reimbursement. Unlike his predecessor Price, Azar stated that he would consider the mandatory path if necessary.
This will not be the first time that Azar worked under HHS. He formerly served as HHS General Counsel and Deputy Secretary during the George W. Bush Administration. He was a health official under the administration for six years.
Azar will now serve as the head of the federal department, overseeing the Medicare and Medicaid programs.
