Trump picks Dr. Oz to run Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
Trump picks Dr. Oz to run Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
President-elect Trump has picked doctor and TV personality Mehmet Oz to run the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), he announced on Tuesday.
Why it matters: Oz is a household name and became a Trump world ally during a failed 2022 Senate run. But he has no experience running a large government bureaucracy like CMS, which administers Medicare and Medicaid and conducts other services like inspecting nursing homes.
Driving the news: "There may be no Physician more qualified and capable than Dr. Oz to Make America Healthy Again," Trump said in a statement, referring to a slogan popularized Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
- Kennedy, Trump's pick to run the Department of Health and Human Services, would be Oz's boss if both are confirmed by the Senate.
- Kennedy's views on Medicare or other payment policies are pretty unclear, unlike his public health views. That could give Oz wide latitude within the role.
In his statement, Trump said Oz would "cut waste and fraud within our Country's most expensive Government Agency," in a signal that cuts might be coming to entitlement spending.
- He also said Oz would "be a leader in incentivizing Disease Prevention."
The big picture: Oz is a former heart surgeon and professor at Columbia University.
- He came to national prominence as Oprah's go-to health guru, and later hosted his own long-running talk show.
- Oz has repeatedly drawn criticism over the years, including from fellow medical professionals, for espousing scientifically dubious theories and promoting treatments with no documented efficacy.
- Trump endorsed him in his 2022 Pennsylvania Senate race, but he was defeated by Democrat John Fetterman.
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