HHS chief Azar postpones appearance at hearing

Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar is postponing a planned appearance before a Senate committee on Thursday as he recovers from an intestinal condition, an HHS official said Tuesday.

The official said Azar, who was hospitalized overnight on Sunday before being released, has had his first bout of diverticulitis, an infection of pouches in the colon that can be painful.

The official said Azar is still working, but from his home in Indiana.

{mosads}He was supposed to testify at a Senate Appropriations Committee hearing on the HHS budget on Thursday, but that is being postponed.

After Azar was released from the hospital on Monday, he tweeted: “I’m grateful for the incredible doctors & nurses who provided me with excellent care during my one-night stay at @StVincentIN. Also thankful for my wife, who insisted that I call my primary care doctor when I wasn’t feeling well. Glad to be back at work for the American people.”

Azar, 50, who was sworn in in January, has said fighting high drug prices is a priority, and the Trump administration is preparing to release a request for information on proposals later this month. President Trump is set to give a speech on the issue on April 26.