Mergers & Acquisitions: Behind TrumpCare

Originally Published by HME News on January 3, 2017

 There are a lot of unknowns for a Trump presidency and what TrumpCare (to coin a phrase) will eventually look like. While his habit of contradicting himself makes it difficult to make exact predictions, there is one clear indication of direction: his appointments, specifically Rep. Tom Price, R-Ga., as Secretary of Health and Human Services.

Price, who is himself a physician, has been a long-time champion of the HME industry. In the past, he has introduced several bills to limit or repeal the scope of competitive bidding and has also introduced a bill to create an alternative called the market-pricing program.

According to Price's congressional website, the Secretary of Health and Human Services would contract with an "auction expert" through a competitive process to develop and design the implementation of the program. At the same time, an independent "market monitor" will continue to evaluate the program, identify weaknesses and recommend changes.