On Wednesday, in a vote of 55 to 43, the Senate confirmed Alex Michael Azar II as the next US Secretary of Health and Human Services. A former deputy secretary for HHS and executive of Pharma giant Eli Lily & Co. will oversee a trillion dollar yearly budget affecting a third of the US population.
Who is he?
Born: June 17, 1967 in Johnstown, Pennsylvania
College: BA in government and economics from Dartmouth College
JD: Yale Law School
Family origin: grandfather emigrated from Lebanon in the early 20th century
What are they saying about him?
Trump tweets: “He will be a star for better healthcare and lower drug prices!”
Senator Orrin Hatch, Finance Committee Chairman and Republican from Utah said from the floor: “With experience both on the company side and the government side of health care, he is now only more experienced and knowledgeable. I think that broad expertise will serve him well, particularly at this critical time when the HHS Secretary will need to be intensely focused on the opioid epidemic and other major problems facing our country.”
The Washington Posts is reporting he “will take over as policies in the sprawling department, with its budget of more than $1.1 trillion, are tilting to the right. A new civil rights division has just been created to protect health-care workers who refuse to provide contraception and other services inconsistent with their moral or religious beliefs. For the first time, new rules allow states to impose work requirements as part of their Medicaid programs.”
The NY Times reports 2 NO VOTES for the appointment had this to say:
Senator Patty Murray of Washington, the senior Democrat on the Senate health committee, said Wednesday: “I’m alarmed that Mr. Azar believes a woman’s employer should be able to decide, based on ideology, whether or not her birth control should be covered. I’m alarmed by his extreme and out-of-touch views on Roe v. Wade,” the 1973 Supreme Court decision that established a constitutional right to abortion.
Senator Tim Kaine, Democrat of Virginia, explained why he had decided to oppose Mr. Azar: “The Trump administration’s determination to destroy the Affordable Care Act through executive action has destabilized our health care system and threatened coverage for millions. I fear Alex Azar could make things even worse.”
The Nation says, Alex Azar, Trump’s HHS Pick, Has Already Been a Disaster for People With Diabetes. While he was at Eli Lilly, the company more than tripled the price of its best-selling insulin.
NARAL spokeswoman Kaylie Hanson Long statement included: “It is sad, but not surprising, that Donald Trump is so desperate to install another anti-choice ideologue at HHS, an agency that’s critical for women’s healthcare. HHS has a duty to protect the health, rights, and reproductive freedom of women all across America, and Azar’s clear and consistent anti-choice record should disqualify him from such an influential position.”
Is he “Health IT” friendly?
The most laughable, disingenuous, and over used statement at HIMSS last year was how the then new Secretary Price was “Health IT friendly”. He was nothing close to that or would he have been. At this year’s HIMSS I look forward to the way the industry will be labeling Azar. Time will tell, but there is writing already on the wall.
Health Exec: 5 quotes from Alex Azar, frontrunner to be Trump’s next HHS secretary, by John Gregory.
Confirmation hearing, November 29, 2017 – On will there be reduction of Medicare benefits – Making the transition to value-based care will “serve as a catalyst for change throughout the healthcare system”.
Will he shift from the Trump administration policy? HHS Nominee Alex Azar Signals Openness to Mandatory Payment Models, by Heather Landi.
What does delay really mean? HHS nominee sees potential of big data, pitfalls of EHRs, by Greg Slabodkin.
Here is hoping that HIMSS can be the advocate we need in the health IT industry with the new Secretary. “As Mr. Azar navigates the confirmation process, HIMSS expects to work closely with him and the HHS team to ensure that health information and technology remain vital enablers of healthcare transformation. Innovation, interoperability, cybersecurity, and active engagement of consumers, caregivers, and providers will enhance our ability to delivery on the promise of 21st Century, value-based healthcare.”
See you in Vegas!