A SURGEON & A CONGRESSMAN U.S. Representative Tom Price (GA-R), an orthopedic surgeon, is President-elect Donald Trump's choice for secretary of Health and Human Services.

If his choice of orthopedic surgeon and outspoken Obamacare critic Tom Price, MD (R-GA), to head the Department of Health and Human Services is any indication, it certainly appears President-elect Donald Trump really meant it when he promised to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act (ACA) on the campaign trail.

Many Republicans have attacked the ACA, but few have offered a detailed alternative healthcare model. Dr. Price, however, is offering up his own remedy. The 6-term representative from Georgia has introduced bills that would replace the ACA in every Congress since 2009.

The Empowering Patients First Act would repeal the ACA and offer refundable, age-adjusted tax credits individuals would use to purchase individual and family health insurance policies ($900 if you're under 18; $1,200 if you're 18 to 35; $2,100 if you're 35 to 50; and $3,000 if you're over 50). Those who are already receiving government benefits would not be eligible, but individuals could opt out of programs like Medicare, Medicaid and Veterans Administration benefits to receive the tax credits instead. Dr. Price also wants to privatize Medicare.

The Empowering Patients First Act would also:

• create incentives for people to contribute to health savings accounts;
• offer grants to states to subsidize insurance for "high-risk populations";
• let insurers sell policies across state lines; and
• authorize business and professional groups to provide coverage to members through "association health plans."

"Chairman Price, a renowned physician, has earned a reputation for being a tireless problem solver and the go-to expert on healthcare policy, making him the ideal choice to serve in this capacity," says President-elect Trump in a statement. "He is exceptionally qualified to shepherd our commitment to repeal and replace Obamacare and bring affordable and accessible healthcare to every American."

Before he moved to politics, for nearly 20 years Dr. Price worked in private practice as an orthopedic surgeon. He was medical director of the orthopedic clinic at Grady Memorial Hospital and assistant professor at Emory University School of Medicine, both in Atlanta.

In a statement, Gerald R. Williams, Jr., MD, president of the American Association of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS), congratulated Dr. Price on his nomination on behalf of 18,000 board-certified orthopedic surgeons.

"Dr. Price has worked closely with AAOS on issues including repeal of the Medicare sustainable growth rate formula, oversight of mandatory bundled payment models, increasing flexibility within electronic health record programs, defending important in-office ancillary services and protecting the patient-physician relationship," says Dr. Williams. "He has been an indispensable voice within the House Republican Doctors Caucus, making significant contributions to health policy reform and furthering the interests of patients. And he has been one of the most important champions in improving the care of patients in the specialty, rural, and small or solo practice settings."

Dr. Price would be the first physician to head HHS since Louis Sullivan, MD, who led the agency under President George H. W. Bush from 1989 to 1993.

Dan O'Connor