Health secretary: ObamaCare repeal plan a ‘work in progress’

Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price labeled the House Republican plan to repeal and replace ObamaCare a “work in progress.” 

Appearing at the White House press briefing on Tuesday, Price praised the House bills as a step “in the right direction” but stopped short of saying the Trump administration supports everything in it.  

“This is a work in progress,” he added. “This is an important process to be had.”

The former Georgia lawmaker notably refused to accept the label “TrumpCare” to describe the proposal. 

{mosads}”I prefer to call it Patient Care,” Price said.

The newly unveiled House plan faces a rocky road forward in Congress.

It ran into a buzzsaw of opposition from conservative lawmakers and outside groups less than 24 hours after it released. Republican opponents say the plan does not live up to the GOP’s promise of fully repealing the law and balked at the potential high cost of the measure.

Moderate Republicans have also expressed concern about provisions that phase out Medicaid expansion and defund Planned Parenthood. 

Price cautioned that the House bill is only the first step in Trump’s three-phase plan to overhaul the healthcare system, which also includes regulatory changes and additional legislation to allow insurance to be sold across state lines, among other changes. 

“This is the beginning of the process and we look forward to working with them and others,” the HHS secretary said when asked about opposition from conservatives. 

Price said the goal of the legislation is to allow patients to keep their doctors and keep insurance premiums low, but he avoided making specific promises about the plan. 

The bill was released before a Congressional Budget Office score of the proposal, which would indicate how much it would cost and how many people could use their insurance plans. 

But Price said lawmakers would work to ensure the measure doesn’t add to the deficit once the score comes in.