Rick Klein: “A campaign that was never about policy has morphed into a transition that’s looked like a reality show, if cable news was in charge of the scripts. But with the selection of Rep. Tom Price (R-GA) as HHS secretary, President-elect Donald Trump is giving a solid indication of his policy ambitions in a very big area. Price, an orthopedic surgeon and a savvy political operator, hasn’t just criticized Obamacare, or thought about replacing it in theory: He’s written a bill that’s among the most serious GOP efforts to take Obamacare apart and patch something else together in its place.”

“It’s going to come under serious scrutiny for its impact – Price would repeal the Medicaid expansion, and make coverage significantly more expensive for some of those who can least afford it – and it’s not clear how much Trump and his new team are on board for. But for Price, at least, ‘repeal and replace’ is much more than a slogan.”

Rep. Tom Price (R-GA) “appears close to being named secretary of health and human services, and an announcement from Donald Trump’s transition team could come within the next day, according to a dozen Republican sources with knowledge of the plan,” the Atlanta Journal Constitution reports.

Price was “one of the only GOP lawmakers to design a replacement plan for the 2010 health care law — a proposal that never received a vote in committee or on the floor of the House.”

Rep. Tom Price (R-GA) “has emerged as the clear front-runner to serve as Donald Trump’s secretary of Health and Human Services, according to several Republican sources close to the transition team,” Politico reports.

“Price, a physician and an ardent opponent of Obamacare, would lead the dismantling of the Affordable Care Act and potentially help Congress enact a new health plan. His selection would be a strong embrace of the House’s effort to repeal and replace Obamacare.”