Earlier this morning, President Donald Trump announced he was nominating Alex Azar for HHS secretary, according to The Hill.
Here are five key points:
1. President Trump posted a tweet saying, "Happy to announce, I am nominating Alex Azar to be the next HHS Secretary. He will be a star for better healthcare and lower drug prices!"
2. For nearly a decade, Mr. Azar worked at Lilly USA, an Eli Lilly and Co. affiliate. Most recently, Mr. Azar was president of the company.
3. Mr. Azar was HHS' general counsel from 2001 to 2005 under President George W. Bush's administration. Following that role, Mr. Azar was HHS' deputy security.
4. Michael Leavitt, the former HHS secretary, said Mr. Azar has a deep knowledge of the regulatory process. Mr. Leavitt said, "I think he would be of particular value given the fact that...so far a repeal bill has not occurred and they're going to need to make their imprint on existing laws through replacing the ideology underpinning it."
5. An opponent of the ACA, Mr. Azar said in a speech nearly two months ago that the health law's issues "were entirely predictable as a matter of economic and individual behavior," according to The Washington Post.