U.S. health secretary says his job is to follow Obamacare law

[July 31, 2017]    WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price said on Sunday that it was his department's job to follow the law on the Affordable Care Act, former President Obama's signature domestic initiative known as Obamacare.

Secretary of Health and Human Services Tom Price speaks before U.S. President Donald Trump called on Republican Senators to move forward and vote on a healthcare bill to replace the Affordable Care Act in the Blue Room of the White House in Washington, U.S., July 24, 2017. REUTERS/Joshua Roberts

Price, on NBC's "Meet the Press," was asked whether he would implement the Affordable Care Act as it was intended. "Our job is to follow the law of the land," Price said, but added that "the law ... is failing the American people." He said the administration's goal was to repeal and replace Obamacare and "put in place a system that actually works for patients."

(Reporting by Susan Cornwell; Editing by Phil Berlowitz)

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