Tom Price

Tom Price is an American physician who served as the United States Secretary of Health and Human Services in 2017, following a lengthy career in elected office representing Georgia’s 6th congressional district from 2005 to 2017. Prior to his federal appointment, he held positions in state government, including membership in the Georgia Senate where he was elected majority leader, and served as chairman of several key House committees during his time in Congress.

Early life and career

Thomas Edmunds Price was born on October 8, 1954, in Lansing, Michigan. He grew up in Dearborn, attending Adams Junior High School and Dearborn High School. Both his father and grandfather were physicians; Price often accompanied his grandfather on house calls in Toledo, Ohio during his childhood. Until the age of six, his father worked a dairy farm in Fowlerville, Michigan.

Price pursued higher education at the University of Michigan, earning a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1975 followed by a Doctor of Medicine degree in 1979. He completed an orthopedic surgery residency at Emory University School of Medicine in Atlanta and subsequently established a private practice in Roswell, Georgia in 1984. In 2002 he returned to Emory as an assistant professor of orthopedic surgery and served as director of the orthopedic clinic at Grady Memorial Hospital. It was there that he met his wife, Betty, who worked as an anesthesiologist.

In addition to his medical practice, Price was active in professional organizations. He is a member of the Association of American Physicians and Surgeons (AAPS), a conservative group founded in 1943 that opposes Medicare and mandatory vaccination, and also belongs to the American Medical Association. His early political engagement included participation with the Medical Association of Georgia in the early 1990s, where he opposed the Clinton health care plan of 1993.

Price entered elective office after being encouraged by state senator Sallie Newbill in 1995 to run for her seat in the Georgia Senate’s 56th district. He won that election and served from 1996 until 2005, during which time he held various committee assignments including Appropriations, Economic Development and Tourism, Education, Ethics, Health and Human Services, Insurance and Labor, Reapportionment and Redistricting, and Rules. In November 1998 he was elected minority whip of the Georgia Senate; when Republicans gained control in 2002 he became majority leader, becoming the first Republican to hold that position in the state.

In late April 2003 Price announced his candidacy for the United States House of Representatives seat representing Georgia’s 6th congressional district. The incumbent, Johnny Isakson, had vacated the seat to run for the U.S. Senate. After a competitive primary field, Price secured the Republican nomination and was elected in November 2004. He served as the district’s representative from January 2005 until his resignation from Congress in 2017.

During his tenure in the House he chaired several important committees. He led the House Committee on the Budget, the Republican Study Committee, and the Republican Policy Committee. His legislative focus included oversight of federal spending and health care policy, reflecting his background as a physician and former state senator with experience in appropriations and health services.

Cabinet tenure

President Donald Trump nominated Price to serve as Secretary of Health and Human Services in early 2017. The United States Senate confirmed him, and he assumed office in February 2017. His appointment followed a brief period in which he had served as the chair of the House Budget Committee, bringing experience with federal fiscal matters to the department.

Price’s tenure at HHS was short; he resigned on September 29, 2017. The resignation came after criticism regarding the use of government funds for private jet travel. In July 2018, the inspector general of Health and Human Services issued a report urging the department to recover at least $341,000 from Price for expenditures deemed wasteful.

During his months in office he oversaw the agency’s response to ongoing health care policy debates and managed day‑to‑day operations of the Department of Health and Human Services. His leadership period coincided with significant administrative priorities set by the Trump administration, including efforts to reform Medicare and reduce federal spending on health programs. However, specific policy initiatives or outcomes from his tenure are not detailed in the available records.

Legacy

Tom Price’s legacy spans both medical practice and public service. As a physician, he contributed to orthopedic surgery through clinical work, teaching, and leadership at Emory University and Grady Memorial Hospital. His early involvement with professional associations reflected a commitment to conservative perspectives on health care policy.

In state politics, his role as the first Republican majority leader in the Georgia Senate marked a shift in the state's legislative dynamics during the late 1990s and early 2000s. In Congress, he served for twelve years representing a district that included northern Atlanta suburbs. His chairmanship of the House Budget Committee positioned him at the center of federal fiscal oversight, and his leadership of the Republican Study Committee and Republican Policy Committee underscored his influence within party policy circles.

His brief service as Secretary of Health and Human Services placed him at the helm of the nation’s primary health agency during a period of intense debate over health care reform. The controversy surrounding travel expenses and subsequent inspector general findings highlighted challenges in executive oversight and accountability. While his time in cabinet was limited, it remains part of the broader narrative of federal health policy leadership under the Trump administration.

Overall, Price’s career reflects a trajectory from medical practice to state legislature, then to national policymaking, culminating in a short but notable appointment as Secretary of Health and Human Services. His contributions to fiscal oversight and health care debate continue to be referenced in discussions of U.S. health policy history.