Ben Carson, M.D., who ran against Donald Trump in the Republican primaries before endorsing him, may play a major role in setting the soon-to-be President Trump’s healthcare agenda.

Politico reported that Dr. Carson may become secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services in a Trump administration. In an interview with the news outlet, Dr. Carson said “of course” he intends to help create an Affordable Care Act replacement.

“The replacement must come first” before dismantling the current healthcare-reform law, he  said.

FierceHealthcare said that Dr. Carson’s influence could mean a greater emphasis on health savings accounts  (HSAs).  Dr. Carson, a retired neurosurgeon, campaigned on replacing the ACA with a plan that includes what he dubs “Health Empowerment Accounts.”  These are tax-free savings accounts to help cover out-of-pocket expenses and premiums for the insurance plans of  consumers’ choice.

Paul Ginsberg, Ph.D., director of the Brookings Institution health policy center,  said that the accounts are most useful for high-income individuals with high-deductible health plans because they can serve as both transactional and investment vehicles. But they won’t be of much use to low- and middle-income people.

To read a FierceHealthcare overview of this, please hit this link.

To read the Politico piece on this, please hit this link.