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President Donald Trump is poised to appoint a prominent health care industry lobbyist to a key budget position in a potential blow to Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s plans to shake up the health care industry, people familiar with the matter said.
Don Dempsey, director of policy and research at the Better Medicare Alliance, a lobbying group funded by insurance companies such as UnitedHealth Group and Humana, has been named the Trump administration's top health official at the Office of Management and Budget. Three people involved said he is a strong candidate. Case.
The potential appointment of Dempsey, who was also a lobbyist for health care company CVS Health and served on OMB during Trump's first term, means the new president will have more establishment players to carry out his health policy agenda. It has been suggested that the United States could rely on .
When President Trump chose Kennedy to lead the Health Department, he said the vaccine skeptic and environmental lawyer could “run wild,” a comment that alarmed big pharmaceutical companies.
But if he is appointed, Dempsey's role as OMB's deputy director for health programs would give him broad authority over the nation's $1.8 trillion health care budget and the responsibilities of 13 departments and agencies. It will be.
President Kennedy, who is scheduled to be questioned by the Senate Finance Committee on Wednesday as part of his confirmation hearing on Capitol Hill, will overhaul the nation's public health agencies as part of “Make America Healthy Again.” It outlined a bold plan to reallocate resources to tackle chronic disease. agenda.
Officials said Mr. Dempsey's appointment could be announced in the coming days, but cautioned that the schedule could change or a different candidate emerge.
This week, President Trump appointed former first-term officials Theo Merkel and Joel Zinberg to other key health positions within the executive branch.
The role of OMB's top health official is likely to play a key role in figuring out how the government's efficiency drive led by billionaire Elon Musk will affect health spending. .
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Dempsey's employer, the Better Medicare Alliance, advocates for an alternative to the federal Medicare program called Medicare Advantage plans. The plans use managed care companies to control costs, which has proven to be highly profitable for health insurance companies.
On Wednesday, Russell Vought, a prominent voice behind the Heritage Foundation's Project 2025, testified before the U.S. Senate as part of his confirmation hearing to lead OMB.
The White House declined to comment. Dempsey did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
