President Donald Trump’s pick to lead the U.S. department ofhealth will likely face another round of criticism about his stocktrading and questions about plans to overhaul Obamacare at a crucial Senate committee hearingthat could clear the path for his nomination.

Representative Tom Price, a Georgia Republican, is appearingTuesday before the Senate Finance Committee, the only one thatvotes on whether to send his nomination to the full Senate forconsideration.

At his first hearing last week before the Senate healthcommittee, Price was grilled by Democrats who have called for aninvestigation into his investments in medical stocks while handlinghealth-related legislation. He didn’t provide details on how toreplace Obamacare, a law that expandedcoverage to 20 million people in the U.S. since it was passed in2010.

Since that first hearing, Trump has issued an executive order onrepealing the health-care law within hours of his inauguration,commanding federal agencies to try to waive or delay requirementsof Obamacare that impose economic or regulatory burdens on states,families and the health-care industry.

Trump hasn’t indicated how he envisions the order beingimplemented, though his adviser Kellyanne Conway told ABC News’s“This Week” on Sunday that the president wants to “almostimmediately” get rid of the financial penalty imposed on Americanswho don’t have health insurance.

Mandate

When host George Stephanopoulos asked her if Trump would “stopenforcing that mandate,” Conway responded: “He may.”

Price will be a key player in the efforts to dismantle theAffordable Care Act if he’s confirmed as secretary of theDepartment of Health and Human Services. He repeatedly focused lastweek on the role of patients’ choice in picking theirinsurance.

“The patients will select the kinds of coverage they want,” hesaid. “Health savings accounts and high-deductible coverage arethings that make a whole lot of sense for many individuals.”

At a briefing on Monday, Trump’s press secretary, Sean Spicer,said that lowering drug prices is going to be one of the key partsof reforming health care.

Ethics concerns

At last week’s hearing before the Senate Health, Education,Labor and Pensions Committee, Democratic senators questioned Priceabout the timing of some of his stock purchases.

The investment that raised the most scrutiny was his 2015purchase of shares in Innate Immunotherapeutics Ltd., an Australiancompany testing a drug that could be used to help treat multiplesclerosis. Unlike his other trades, which were handled by afinancial broker, Price said he personally made the decision toinvest in the drugmaker.

At the same time, negotiations were under way for a bill calledthe 21st Century Cures Act that would help speed drug approvals,which Price voted in favor of during its 2016 passage into law.

Price said last week that he learned of the drugmaker fromRepresentative Chris Collins, a Republican who sits on the board ofthe company, but wasn’t privy to non-public information beforepurchasing the stock.

Democrats also asked about other investments, which were donethrough the nominee’s financial adviser, Morgan Stanley. Theyincluded stock in medical device manufacturer Zimmer BiometHoldings Inc., bought last year just before Price introducedlegislation that would have benefited companies that make hip andknee replacements. While Price introduced the legislation a fewdays after the purchase, he didn’t learn of the stock purchaseuntil the following month, according to a fact sheet from Trump’stransition team.

Senate health committee Chairman Lamar Alexander, a TennesseeRepublican, said during the hearing in front of his committee aweek ago that he expects the nominee could be confirmed in earlyFebruary.

Vice President Mike Pence met Monday evening with House SpeakerPaul Ryan, a Republican from Wisconsin, and other GOP leaders totalk about Obamacare.

“The president is committed to repeal and replace Obamacaresimultaneously and we’re working out the details,” Pence toldreporters.

Asked about the timing of legislation, he answered “soon.”

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