Tom Price (US politician)

Early life, education, and medical career

Price was born in Lansing, Michigan, and grew up in Dearborn, where he attended Adams Jr. High and Dearborn High School.

He received his B.A. (1975) and M.D. (1979) degrees from the University of Michigan. He completed his residency at Emory University in Atlanta, and settled in the suburb of Roswell, Georgia.

He ran an orthopedic clinic in Atlanta for 20 years before returning to Emory as assistant professor of orthopedic surgery. Price also was the director of the orthopedic clinic at Atlanta's Grady Memorial Hospital.

Price is a former member of the Association of American Physicians and Surgeons (AAPS), a politically conservative non-profit association founded in 1943 to "fight socialized medicine and to fight the government takeover of medicine." The AAPS opposes Medicare and mandatory vaccination. Price is also a member of the American Medical Association.

Elections and results

In 1996, Price was the Republican nominee for Georgia's 56th senate district after Republican State Senator Sallie Newbill decided not to run for re-election. In the November general election, he defeated Democrat Ellen Milholland 71%–29%. In a 1998 rematch, he won re-election to a second term by defeating Milholland by a margin of 75%–25%. In 2000 and 2002, he won re-election to a third and fourth term unopposed.

Committee memberships

During his tenure as state senator, Price served on the committees for Appropriations, Economic Development and Tourism, Education, Ethics, Health and Human Services, Insurance and Labor, Reapportionment and Redistricting, and Rules.

Elections

In 2004, U.S. Congressman Johnny Isakson of Georgia's 6th congressional district decided not to run for re-election in order to run for the U.S. Senate. Six other Republican candidates filed to run, most notably state senators Robert Lamutt and Chuck Clay. Price was the only major candidate from Fulton County, while Lamutt and Clay were both from Cobb County. On July 20, 2004, Price ranked first with 35% of the vote, but failed to reach the 50% threshold needed to win the Republican nomination. Lamutt qualified for the run-off, ranking second with 28% of the vote. Price won two of the district's three counties: Fulton with 63% and Cherokee with 35%. Cobb with 31% of the vote. In the August 10 run-off election, Price defeated Lamutt 54%–46%. They split the vote in Cherokee, but Price carried Fulton by a landslide of 79% of the vote. Lamutt couldn't eliminate that deficit as he won Cobb with just 59% of the vote. Price won the general election unopposed.

In 2006, Price drew one primary challenger, John Konop, whom he defeated 82%–18%. In November, he won re-election to a second term with 72% of the vote.

Price won re-election in 2008 (68%), 2010 (99.9%), and 2012 (65%).

Price won the election in 2016 against Rodney Stooksbury (Democratic), receiving 61.6% of the vote.

Healthcare

In response to questions as to whether or not vaccines cause autism, Price stated in January 2017 “I think the science in that instance is that it does not”. Price said in March 2017 that it should be up to individual states to determine whether vaccinations should be required.

Price introduced his first post-Obamacare bill as early as 2009, thereafter reintroducing updated versions in every Congress since that point. In May 2015, as House Budget Committee chairman, Price released health care legislation which was described by Bill Kristol of the National Review as "the strongest Obamacare alternative offered in Congress to date." Greg Sargent of the Washington Post wrote "it's good to have a fleshed out plan, because it helps clarify the differences between the parties on health reform." Sargent also wrote that "GOP reforms would likely translate into lower-quality plans and a coverage expansion that would benefit fewer people. But that would be the trade-off Republicans would make to achieve their goal of less government spending and interference in the market than that which occurs under Obamacare." Price voted to repeal portions of the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010 on multiple occasions.

Price voted against the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act, a law that for the first time gave the Food & Drug Administration regulatory jurisdiction over tobacco products, i.e. the power to regulate tobacco as a drug. The law, passed in 2009, "mark[ed] a significant benchmark in how aggressive a role the United States government wants to take in cigarette regulation."

Abortion

Price opposes abortion and supported the proposed Protect Life Act of 2011, which would have denied Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) funding to health care plans that offered abortion (the PPACA already prevented public funding covering abortions) and allowed hospitals to decline to provide abortions. The bill excludes cases where the pregnancy is the result of rape or incest and in cases where a woman suffers from a medical issue that would place her at risk of death unless an abortion is performed.

Price co-sponsored the Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act and the Health Care Conscience Rights Act.

He was rated at 100 by the National Right to Life Center. He was rated at 0 by Planned Parenthood and NARAL Pro-Choice America. He participated in the 2011 March for Life.

Price voted against federal funding of groups such as Planned Parenthood. Price has said that the birth-control coverage mandate in the Affordable Care Act violated religious freedoms and suggested that it is not necessary because all women can afford birth control.

Gun policy

Price opposes gun control. He praised the Supreme Court's decisions in District of Columbia v. Heller, which found that the absolute prohibition of handguns in the District of Columbia was unconstitutional, and McDonald v. Chicago, which stated that the Second Amendment applied to the states. He was given an "A" grade by the National Rifle Association Political Victory Fund, a 92% approval rating overall from the National Rifle Association and an 83% approval rating from the Gun Owners of America, and a 0% approval rating from the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence.

Gay rights

Price voted against a bill prohibiting job discrimination based on sexual orientation. He voted in favor of constitutionally defining marriage as one man and one woman. Price voted against H.R. 2965, which would have ended Don't ask, don't tell. In 2006, he received a 0% rating by the Human Rights Campaign, a gay rights organization.

Farming and environmental regulation

Price does not support federal regulation of farming. He has voted against regulating and restricting farmers, earning him a 70% from the American Farm Bureau Federation and a 0% approval rate from the National Farmers Union. He supported the Farm Dust Regulation Prevention Act, stating that it would keep the Environmental Protection Agency from applying too many regulations to farming and ranching. He also voted for the Agricultural Disaster Assistance Act of 2012 which, had it become law, would have made supplemental agricultural disaster assistance available, if needed.

In 2008, Price signed a pledge sponsored by Americans for Prosperity promising to vote against any global warming legislation that would raise taxes.

Foreign policy

Price voted to extend the Patriot Act.

Price voted against a resolution which would force the president to withdraw American forces from Iraq.

Economic policy

In 2011, Price voted to reduce non-security discretionary spending to 2008 levels (and subsequently voted against several amendments offered via motions to recommit with instructions).

In 2013, he was the main sponsor of the Require a PLAN Act (mandating that the President identify a fiscal year in which the budget will be balanced). He voted for the No Budget, No Pay Act and a resolution establishing a budget for the United States Government for FY 2014 that passed the House of Representatives.

In 2011, Price voted to prohibit federal funding of National Public Radio.

Price voted to terminate the Emergency Mortgage Relief Program.

Price voted to reduce federal spending and the deficit by terminating taxpayer financing of presidential election campaigns and party conventions.

Legislation sponsored by Price

Price is the sponsor of the Empowering Patients First Act (EPFA), which he first introduced in the 111th Congress and has reintroduced in each Congress since then. Originally intended to be a Republican alternative to Democratic efforts to reform the health care system, it has since been positioned by Price and other Republicans as a potential replacement to the PPACA. The bill, among other things, creates and expands tax credits for purchasing health insurance, allows for some interstate health insurance markets, and reforms medical malpractice lawsuits.

Price introduced the Pro-Growth Budgeting Act of 2013 (H.R. 1874; 113th Congress) on May 8, 2013. The bill would require the Congressional Budget Office to provide a macroeconomic impact analysis for bills that are estimated to have a large budgetary effect. Price said it was necessary because of the Congressional Budget Office's current method of reviewing bills just to see what they would cost. Price said "that is a model that has proven to be incapable of providing the type of macroeconomic diagnosis folks need to make sure we are pursuing policies that will help generate economic opportunity and bring down the nation's debt." H.R. 1874 has passed the House but has yet to become law.

In total, Price has sponsored 73 bills, including:

109th Congress (2005–2006)

110th Congress (2007–2008)

111th Congress (2009–2010)

112th Congress (2011–2012)

113th Congress (2013–2014)

Committee assignments

Secretary of Health and Human Services

On November 29, 2016, Price was nominated for United States Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) by President Donald Trump. On February 1, 2017, the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee approved his nomination by a vote of 11–0 with all Democrats boycotting the vote, sending the nomination to the Senate floor. On February 10, 2017, the Senate confirmed Price in a 52–47 vote.

In March 2017, Price endorsed the American Health Care Act, a bill proposed by House Republicans that would repeal the individual mandate and make several other major changes to the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. When the Congressional Budget Office estimated that the American Health Care Act would insure 24 million fewer Americans than the Affordable Care Act by 2026 and reduce the federal deficit by $337 billion in the same span, Price said he disagreed "strenuously" with the report and found it "not believable".

In April 2017, reporter Dan Heyman was arrested by West Virginia police for "aggressively breaching Secret Service agents" and "causing a disturbance by yelling questions" related to proposed healthcare legislation at Price and Kellyanne Conway. Price said the arrest was "not my decision to make".

In September 2017, Politico analyzed one week of Price's official travel records and found that he had taken private jets on five flights for official business at a cost tens of thousands of dollars more than available commercial travel. This broke precedent with Obama-era predecessors Sylvia Mathews Burwell and Kathleen Sebelius, who flew commercially while on official business.

Investment activity

In 2015-2016, according to congressional financial disclosures, Price purchased shares totaling between $60,000 and $110,000 in value in Innate Immunotherapeutics, an Australian biotech company. Innate has no approved drugs and one multiple sclerosis drug in trial. Price participated in a private placement of more shares in August 2016, paying $.25 and $.34 per share. Price invested between $50,000 and $100,000. On January 13, 2017, the shares were valued at $1.31, giving Price an unrealized gain of 300%–400% in a 6-month period. Price announced plans to sell several health care investments, including Innate, upon his confirmation as HHS Secretary.

On January 16, 2017, CNN reported that Price had purchased shares in Zimmer Biomet, a medical devices company. Zimmer Biomet is an S&P 500 component, in that every S&P 500 ETF and numerous mutual funds often trade Zimmer Biomet. Price had a diversified, broker-directed portfolio of hundreds of stocks in which investment decisions were made by a Morgan Stanley financial advisor, and that advisor had purchased these shares, in addition to approximately 70 other stocks, as a part of a periodic portfolio re-balancing. Less than a week after the stock purchase, Price introduced legislation, the HIP Act, that would delay a Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services regulation until 2018. Industry analysts had warned that those regulations would significantly hurt the company's finances. Following the introduction of the HIP Act, Zimmer Biomet's political action committee made a donation to Price's reelection campaign.

When questioned about his financial dealings during his confirmation hearing before the U.S. Senate on January 18, 2017, Price said, "[e]verything that we have done has been above-board, transparent, ethical, and legal."

In March 2017, ProPublica reported that U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara had been investigating Price's stock trades prior to Bharara's dismissal from his post by Donald Trump. Price said that he had not received any indication of a federal investigation into his stock trades.

Personal life

Price and his wife Betty reside in Roswell, and have one child, Robert Price. Betty served on the Roswell City Council and was elected to the Georgia House of Representatives in a 2015 special election to succeed the late Harry Geisinger. Price is a Presbyterian.

He is a past President of the Roswell Rotary Club and has served on the Board of the North Fulton Chamber of Commerce.

As of 2014, Price was estimated to have a net worth of $13.6 million.