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POST TIME: 11 February, 2017 00:00 00 AM
Obamacare critic confirmed as health secretary
AFP

Obamacare critic confirmed as health secretary

AFP, WASHINGTON: The US Senate narrowly confirmed Tom Price as President Donald Trump’s pick for health secretary Friday, appointing a fierce Obamacare critic who aims to implement a Republican promise to tear up the divisive health care reform law.Price, a congressman from Georgia and former orthopedic surgeon, was confirmed as head of the Department of Health and Human Services along strict party lines, with the chamber’s 52 Republicans voting for and 47 Democrats against.Announcing 62-year-old Price as his pick last month, Trump praised him as “exceptionally qualified to shepherd our commitment to repeal and replace Obamacare and bring affordable and accessible health care to every American”.But Democratic senators arguing against Price’s confirmation during a debate that stretched into the early hours of Friday morning said he would hurt millions of Americans who depend on former president Barack Obama’s signature health care reform.