Tom Price (politician)

Tom Price (politician)
Name	Tom Price
Birth date	8 October 1954
Birth place	Laurens, South Carolina
Occupation	Orthopedic surgeon, Politician, U.S. Cabinet
Office	United States Secretary of Health and Human Services
President	Donald Trump
Term start	10 February 2017
Term end	29 September 2017
Predecessor	Sylvia Mathews Burwell
Successor	Acting
Party	Republican Party
Education	University of Georgia (BA), Emory University School of Medicine (MD)

Tom Price (politician) is an American orthopedic surgeon and politician who served as the United States Secretary of Health and Human Services in the Trump administration and represented Georgia's 6th congressional district in the United States House of Representatives from 2005 to 2017. A member of the Republican Party, he became a prominent voice on Medicare, Medicaid, and Affordable Care Act repeal efforts before his Cabinet appointment, which ended amid controversy and resignation.

Early life and education

Born in Laurens, South Carolina, Price was raised in Atlanta, Georgia and attended Lakeside High School. He graduated from the University of Georgia with a Bachelor of Arts in economics and earned a Doctor of Medicine from Emory University School of Medicine. Price completed residency training in orthopedic surgery at Emory and pursued further fellowships linked with institutions such as Orthopaedic Hospital and professional associations including the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons.

Medical career

After training, Price practiced orthopedic surgery and held clinical affiliations with hospitals in the Atlanta metropolitan area, including positions that connected him to local medical centers and specialty practices. He served as a member of professional organizations like the American Medical Association and the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, engaged with billing and reimbursement matters involving Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services policies, and maintained a private practice while participating in health care networks and hospital boards tied to regional institutions.

Political career

Price began his elective career in the Georgia House of Representatives, succeeding in state legislative races and ascending to roles within the Georgia General Assembly where he served on committees concerned with health and fiscal matters. He later won election to the United States House of Representatives in 2004, unseating an incumbent in a Republican primary. In Congress, Price held leadership and caucus positions including membership in the Republican Study Committee and engagement with conservative organizations such as the Heritage Foundation and the Club for Growth. He aligned with national figures like Newt Gingrich, Paul Ryan, and Mitch McConnell on budget and health policy.

Tenure as U.S. Representative

As a U.S. Representative from Georgia, Price chaired the Republican Study Committee's budget-related initiatives and served on the House Budget Committee and the House Committee on Energy and Commerce subcommittees related to health. He sponsored and co-sponsored legislation addressing Medicare reforms, health insurance market changes, and federal spending reductions promoted by the Tea Party movement and fiscal conservatives such as Grover Norquist and groups like Americans for Prosperity. Price became known for advocating repeal of the Affordable Care Act and proposing alternatives emphasizing market-based mechanisms championed by think tanks such as the Cato Institute and American Enterprise Institute.

Secretary of Health and Human Services

Nominated by President Donald Trump to head the Department of Health and Human Services, Price was confirmed by the United States Senate and sworn into office in February 2017. His tenure intersected with administrations officials including Reince Priebus, Kellyanne Conway, and Sean Spicer, and involved coordination with federal agencies such as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Food and Drug Administration, and Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. Price's priorities reflected proposals to reshape Medicare financing, restructure Medicaid through block grants and per-capita caps supported by policymakers like Tom Coburn and Paul Ryan, and pursue regulatory changes affecting FDA and public health programs.

Policy positions and controversies

Price advocated conservative fiscal policies and supported legislative and regulatory changes aligned with organizations like the Heritage Foundation and Americans for Tax Reform. He pushed for reduced federal spending on entitlement programs and supported alternatives to the Affordable Care Act that were criticized by opponents including Nancy Pelosi, Chuck Schumer, and public health experts at institutions such as Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. Price's tenure as HHS Secretary was marred by controversy over his travel and use of charter flights funded by interest groups and connections to healthcare industry stakeholders, prompting scrutiny from media outlets including The New York Times and The Washington Post and investigations by congressional committees chaired by members like Jason Chaffetz. Allegations regarding potential conflicts of interest and ethics reviews led to calls for resignation from lawmakers across the aisle and commentators from outlets such as CNN and NPR.

Personal life and legacy

Price is married to a fellow physician and they have children; his family life has been noted in profiles by regional papers such as the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. After resigning as HHS Secretary, Price returned to roles in health policy circles, speaking at events hosted by institutions including Georgetown University and think tanks like the Brookings Institution and American Enterprise Institute. His legacy is contested: supporters cite his advocacy for fiscal restraint and market-based health reforms praised by conservative figures such as Mitch Daniels and Tom Coburn, while critics emphasize ethics controversies and the policy impacts debated by public health scholars at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and advocates including AARP.

Category:1954 births Category:Living people Category:Members of the United States House of Representatives from Georgia Category:United States Secretaries of Health and Human Services Category:Republican Party (United States) politicians