Tom Price: ObamaCare replacement 'has to be done'

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Sec. Price: Health care bill a move in the right direction

Health and Human Services secretary provides insight on 'Hannity'

Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price told Fox News Thursday night that repealing and replacing ObamaCare "has to be done."

"We’ve got prices going up, we’ve got deductibles going up, premiums going up," said Price, a former Republican congressman. "We’ve got people who have an insurance card but they don’t have any care because they can’t afford the deductible. So, where we are right now is in a terrible place in the individual and small group market. That’s what we’re trying to fix."

Price spoke to Fox News' "Hannity" hours after Senate Republicans released a draft of their bill to undo former President Barack Obama's signature domestic legislation.

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"We’ll make certain that every single American has the opportunity to purchase the kind of coverage that they want," Price vowed. "The American people are going to be appreciative of the fact that they’re going to be the ones in charge, not Washington D.C."

The Senate bill was criticized by four Republican senators who said they would not vote for it in its current form: Rand Paul of Kentucky, Mike Lee of Utah, Ted Cruz of Texas and Ron Johnson of Wisconsin.

"Is it everything that everybody wants? Absolutely not," Price said. "But we’ve got 52 senators and we’re working to try to make certain that it is able to pass the Senate and then have the House support it."