A West Virginia journalist was arrested and jailed after following Tom Price, the US health and human services secretary, down a hallway in the state's capitol building and peppering him with questions about healthcare policy.

Journalist Dan Heyman was grabbed by security and handcuffed after repeatedly calling out a question to Mr Price as the health secretary visited the Charleston legislature with White House advisor Kellyanne Conway on Tuesday, said Heyman at a press conference after the incident.

"I'm not sure why, but at some point I think they decided I was just too persistent in asking this question and trying to do my job, so they arrested me," said Heyman, who works for Public News Service, a nonprofit news operation.