Trump Nominates Alex Azar to Head HHS  

  A few weeks ago, President Donald Trump nominated Alex Azar to lead the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), following in the footsteps of Tom Price. The nomination – announced where else other than Twitter – said “Happy to announce, I am nominating Alex Azar to be the next HHS Secretary. He will be a star for better healthcare and lower drug prices!”  Azar has a history of involvement in the pharmaceutical world, including serving as HHS General Counsel and Deputy HHS Secretary under President George W. Bush. Mike Leavitt, the HHS Secretary when Azar was Deputy had kind words about his former colleague, noting, “He’s precise, highly motivated, he has high standards for performance for himself and for other people. He had full responsibility as deputy secretary for the regulatory processes at HHS.”  As HHS general counsel, Azar worked on the administration’s response to the 9/11 terrorist attacks and the ensuing anthrax attacks, stem-cell policy and the advent of the Medicare prescription drug benefits. During his tenure as deputy secretary, he pushed for greater disclosure of prices associated with medical services to help foster competition and contain costs. He also backed converting medical records to electronic form. He was confirmed for those previous positions by unanimous voice vote.  Azar recently spent five years at Eli&#...
Source: Policy and Medicine - Category: American Health Authors: Source Type: blogs