Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price said 'the hour is late' for more amendments. | AP Photo Tom Price on Obamacare repeal: Trump administration is 'going to make this happen'

Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price said he was confident about Donald Trump’s health care bill passing through the House of Representatives in a vote planned for Thursday, but he said there was little opportunity for more amendments to the bill before the scheduled vote.

Price, who appeared on conservative radio show host Hugh Hewitt’s show Tuesday, said that the Trump administration was “going to make this happen.”


He spoke before Trump addressed members of Congress Tuesday morning. During that meeting, Trump warned Republicans House members that they are in danger of losing their seats in 2018 if they don't vote for the repeal.

“And this is the next step in the process, and then it’ll move on over to the Senate, and we’ll continue to perfect it,” Price told Hewitt. “And we’ve got so many opportunities from a legislative standpoint as well as what we’re able to do here at the department, it’s just an exciting time to be able to move our health care system in the direction that actually thinks about patients and those providing the care, as opposed to the government.”

The American Health Care Act, which Trump has billed as a replacement to Obamacare, has been criticized by Republicans and Democrats alike for some of its provisions, but has gained steam after adding some amendments to the bill, including one that would change how Medicaid is funded. Some Republican legislators have said they’ve changed their stance on how they would vote on the bill based on the amendments.

Price said time was running out for amendments to the bill before the Thursday vote, but said there were “certainly” opportunities in the Senate, as the bill continues to be voted on

“At some point, you’ve got to put down the pens, and the hour is late,” he said. “There were a number of amendments that were rolled out yesterday that address a lot of the concerns that people had, so the bill has moved, I think, in a better direction… We’ve done some things here at the department that I think are really important, and we’ll be addressing more of them this week and as the weeks roll by.”

Hewitt asked Price directly whether the bill would pass Thursday.

“I think so. I think so,” Price responded. “It feels good.”