Democrats attack health secretary on pre-existing conditions

Source: NYTimes

WASHINGTON — Democratic senators blistered President Trump’s health secretary on Tuesday, telling him that the Trump administration’s efforts to undo health insurance protections for people with pre-existing conditions made a mockery of the president’s campaign to rein in prescription drug prices.

The secretary of health and human services, Alex M. Azar II, told Congress that he would be glad to work with lawmakers on legislation — “alternatives to the Affordable Care Act, modifications of the Affordable Care Act” — to provide access to insurance for people with pre-existing conditions.

The decision regarding pre-existing conditions is “a constitutional and legal position, not a policy position,” Mr. Azar told the committee.

Mr. Azar also conceded that Mr. Trump’s promise late last month that drug companies would come forward with “voluntary massive drops in prices” within two weeks might not be fulfilled by that deadline. He told Congress on Tuesday that several drugmakers wanted to reduce prices but were reluctant to do so for competitive reasons.

Read more: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/06/12/us/politics/alex-azar-pre-existing-conditions-drug-prices.html