Andrea Mitchell interviewed Sec. Price. Here are key quotes from the interview:
1. Pre-existing conditions: “Look, nobody wants folks who have pre-existing illness or injury not to be covered. We want to make certain that we can do it at a lower price and broader choices for patients. So that again they’re able to see the doctor that they want to see. They’re able to go to the hospital that they want to go to, and the clinic that they want to go to, not that Washington forces them to participate in.”
2. Coverage for people on the exchange: “The fact of the matter is that if those individuals who are sicker, who are older, who are poorer, they will get larger subsidies so that they’re able to gain the kind of coverage that they need and want for themselves and for their family.”
3. Opposition: When asked about the groups such as the American Medical Association and American Hospital Association that have opposed the AHCA: “Sometimes change can be disconcerting to folks. And that’s why I would suggest that the list of groups that you had up earlier say they oppose it. The fact of the matter is, they’re not focusing on the kinds of things that are going to improve the system, improve the system for patients and families and doctors. Not make it so the government or insurance companies are in charge.”
4. Medicaid: “The Medicaid population is basically four different demographics: it’s seniors, it’s disabled, it’s healthy moms and kids. And what the federal government now stipulates is that those healthy moms and kids need to be cared for in exactly the same manner as the seniors and the disabled. That doesn’t make sense to anybody. So what we’re trying to do is improve the Medicaid system, make it more responsive to patients so that there are more resources to be able to utilized for the disabled and the aged.”
5. Budget: When asked about the president’s budget, which could cut as much as 90 percent of the Office of Drug Policy: “This budget hasn’t been completed yet. But what I will tell you is that the president has an absolute commitment to making certain that we fight the opioid crisis. It’s one of the three top priorities that I’ve identified for the Department of Health and Human Services. We were able to put out $485 million in grants to states just two weeks ago…Now whether it’s through an office within the White House or whether it’s through a department, an agency of the government, I don’t think the American people care. What they care about is that we are absolutely addressing this opioid crisis in the most aggressive and effective manner possible.”
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