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Trump picks Dr. Mehmet Oz to head CMS

Oz will cut waste and fraud within the country's most expensive government agency, Trump says.

Susan Morse, Executive Editor

Photo: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

TV celebrity, cardiothoracic surgeon and former Senate candidate Dr. Mehmet Oz is president-elect Donald Trump's pick to head the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.

"I have known Dr. Oz for many years, and I am confident he will fight to ensure everyone in America receives the best possible healthcare, so our country can be Great and Healthy Again!" Trump said in a statement Tuesday, according to CNN. "Dr. Oz will be a leader in incentivizing disease prevention, so we get the best results in the world for every dollar we spend on healthcare in our great country."

Trump added, "He will also cut waste and fraud within our country's most expensive government agency, which is a third of our nation's healthcare spend, and a quarter of our entire national budget." 

WHY THIS MATTERS

A fear of Medicare cuts was top of mind for the Democratic National Committee Rapid Response in its reaction to the choice.

DNC Rapid Response director Alex Floyd said, "Donald Trump has already talked about 'cutting' Medicare and Medicaid and tossing our seniors out in the cold – that's why he wants to leave these critical programs in the hands of an out-of-touch lackey like Dr. Oz who's threatened to privatize them before and is now getting the green light for devastating cuts. America's seniors can't afford to let another TV personality go after their hard-earned benefits, and Democrats will stand up for our seniors against whatever reckless schemes Trump and Dr. Oz try to push to slash Americans' access to healthcare."

Trump's choice is controversial, as was his pick of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to lead the Department of Health and Human Services

During the pandemic, Oz talked about the use of the antimalarial drug hydroxychloroquine as a way to treat COVID-19. The view was praised by some Republicans at the time, though there was no scientific evidence that it was an effective treatment, according to the CNN report.

Oz has no direct experience in the Medicare and Medicaid agency. In 2018, Trump appointed Oz to the Presidential Council on Sports, Fitness and Nutrition, reappointing him to the position in 2020.

In 2022, Oz ran unsuccessfully for Senate in Pennsylvania, losing to Democrat John Fetterman.

Oz is best known for daytime talk show "The Dr. Oz Show."

This February, the Arizona Department of Education is partnered with the nonprofit HealthCorps that was cofounded by Oz to offer optional health education programming to schools, according to doctoroz.com.

THE LARGER TREND

"The Dr. Oz Show" ran for 13 seasons from 2009 through 2022, winning multiple Daytime Emmy Awards, according to doctoroz.com.

Critics accused Oz for broadcasting controversial medical advice, according to the doctoroz.com. In 2014, a Senate panel called out Oz for supporting "dubious weight-loss products." In 2015, a group of doctors sent a letter to Columbia University demanding Oz be fired due in part to his controversial endorsements. Oz said his show shared multiple points of view so the public could make their own decisions. 

The show ended in 2022 when Oz launched his Senate campaign.

Email the writer: SMorse@himss.org