Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price said Sunday the Trump administration isn't abandoning the fight against opioid addiction – despite a massive proposed cut to the White House office of drug control policy.
In an interview Sunday on NBC News' "Meet The Press," Price said the budget isn't a done deal.
"This is a budget that hasn't been completed yet, but what I will tell you is that the president has a commitment to making sure we fight the opioid crisis," Price said, saying that it's "one of the top three priorities" his agency has.
"We were able to put out $485 million in grants to states two weeks ago," Price added. "I'm moving around the country this coming week to go to states where we want to make sure… they're allowed and have the resources to address this opioid crisis…."
"Whether it's through the government I don't think the American people care," he added. "They care that we're addressing this opioid crisis in the most aggressive and effective manner possible."
He also defended the newly passed GOP healthcare bill's coverage of people with pre-existing conditions, saying the bill allows that it will be done in a "different way," and it's understandable "change can be disconcerting to folks."
Critics, he said, are "not focusing on the kinds of thing that are going to improve the system… patients and families and [doctors] – not make it so that government or insurance companies are in charge."
"Nobody wants folks who have a pre-existing illness or injury not to be covered. We want to do it at a lower price and broader choices for patients so that again they're able to see the doctor that they want to see," he said.
"So this is -- yes, it's a different way, but it's a way that we believe to be better and more comprehensive and ability to have those patients have the kind of coverage and care that they want," he added.
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