Health chief selection could signal direction on policy

WASHINGTON — President Trump’s selection of a secretary of health and human services could be a turning point in a health care debate that has polarized Washington, as he faces a choice of working with Democrats to fix the current system or continuing his so-far failed efforts to dismantle his predecessor’s program.

The resignation of Tom Price as secretary late Friday over his use of costly chartered jets capped a week of setbacks on health care for a president who made the issue a centerpiece of his campaign and his first eight months in office. Trump’s decision on a successor could be an opportunity to shift the debate, but he faces the prospect of an arduous confirmation battle.

The president has sent mixed signals since the latest effort to repeal and replace President Barack Obama’s Affordable Care Act collapsed in the Senate. He has asserted that he has the votes to pass the repeal legislation and will try again in early 2018, while also saying he wanted to negotiate with Democrats who are adamantly against it.

Many will look to his choice for a secretary to see whether he wants to continue the battle or find a compromise.

Democrats urged him to use the moment to change course. “Let’s get a new HHS secretary who’s finally devoted to improving health care, move past these debates and come to bipartisan agreement on how to stabilize markets and make health care cheaper,” said Sen. Christopher Murphy of Connecticut.

The White House had no comment Saturday, but the two most frequently mentioned candidates to succeed Price are two officials who work in the department: Seema Verma, administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, and Scott Gottlieb, commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration.

If Trump picks Verma to succeed Price at the Department of Health and Human Services, it would be taken as a sign among many that he wants to continue vigorous opposition to the Affordable Care Act, with the government doing the minimum required by the law to implement its provisions.

Gottlieb was seen at the time of his appointment as the more moderate of candidates being considered. His nomination would be seen as a signal that the president might want to take a different approach to the health care debate.