Pro-ObamaCare group launches ad ahead of vote on HHS nominee

by Rachel Roubein - 01/17/18 10:18 AM ET

A pro-ObamaCare group has launched a digital ad ahead of the Senate Finance Committee’s vote on President Trump’s nominee to lead the department charged with implementing the health law.

The ad running online Wednesday in Washington, D.C., points out what ObamaCare supporters view as the White House’s attempts to sabotage the law in list form. Various items on the list are checked off, such as “rip away health care from millions of Americans (3.2 million and counting…),” “slash open enrollment in half,” “undermine essential health benefits” and more.

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The ad is a nod to a document Sen. Bob Casey Jr. (D-Pa.) released last week from the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) that detailed ways the department has examined changing ObamaCare through administrative action. Former HHS Secretary Tom Price handed out the document in a March 23 meeting with the conservative House Freedom Caucus as the chamber was working to repeal ObamaCare.

“The Trump HHS has been secretly sabotaging the American health care system from the very beginning, and now 3 million Americans have lost their coverage,” Protect Our Care Campaign Director Brad Woodhouse said in a release. “Now that they’ve been caught red-handed, the Trump Administration and its HHS nominee must promise to end these attacks on our care.”

The ad comes as the Senate Finance Committee votes Wednesday to send the nomination of Alex Azar to serve as the head of HHS to the Senate floor.

His confirmation before the full Senate is likely, as only one GOP senator — Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) — has expressed concerns and at least two Democrats — Sens. Heidi Heitkamp (N.D.) and Joe Manchin (W.Va.) — have already said they would vote to confirm him.

Azar spent nearly 10 years as a pharmaceutical executive at Eli Lilly, most recently serving as Lilly USA’s president — a post he left in January 2017.

He previously served at HHS, first as general counsel from 2001 to 2005 and then as deputy secretary for two years. His former colleagues say he’s fluent in the regulatory process, which could come in handy as the Trump administration looks to change ObamaCare on its own. It seems unlikely GOP lawmakers will take another stab at repealing the health law.