Trending News Today: Tom Price Resigns as HHS Secretary

On Friday, Tom Price, MD, resigned from his position as the Health and Human Services (HHS) secretary due to concerns of his use of private jets, according to Kaiser Health News. While Dr Price planned to pay back some of the $400,000 spent, he faced much scrutiny. In Dr Price’s absence, Don Wright will become the acting secretary. Wright is currently the deputy assistant for health at the HHS and director of the Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, according to the article.

The HHS Office of Inspector General reports that Medicare paid more than $1.5 billion over the last 10 years to replace defective heart devices for thousands of patients, Kaiser Health News reported. Additionally, patients paid $140 million out-of-pocket for the procedures. Due to these findings, government officials call for better and more detailed reporting for product failures to prevent harm and issue faster recalls, according to the article.

Despite uncertainty about the future of the Affordable Care Act and funding cuts, open enrollment is scheduled to start next month. Kaiser Health News reports that many navigators are having trouble obtaining certification required to advise consumers and run events about becoming insured. While the certification training software was always prone to glitches, navigators have been experiencing more problems than usual and receiving less help from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, according to the article.