WASHINGTON — Former television personality and former U.S. Senate candidate Mehmet Oz could become the next administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, the comprehensive government agency responsible for much of the nation’s health care.
President-elect Donald Trump announced his intention to nominate Oz on Tuesday, writing in a statement: “There may be no physician more qualified and competent than Dr. Oz to make America healthy again.”
Oz won the Republican primary in Pennsylvania’s 2022 U.S. Senate race, but was defeated in the general election by Democratic Sen. John Fetterman.
Trump wrote that Oz will “work closely” with Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who will be appointed Secretary of Health and Human Services“to tackle the morbid industrial complex and all the terrible chronic diseases it has left in its wake.”
“He will also reduce waste and fraud in our nation’s most expensive government agency, which accounts for one-third of our nation’s health care spending and one-fourth of our entire national budget,” Trump said in a statement.
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services manages the nation’s largest health care programs, including Medicare, Medicaid, the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP), and the health insurance marketplaces created by the Affordable Care Act, or Obamacare.
There are 67.7 million people enrolled in the Medicare program, almost 90% of whom are over the age of 65. The program also provides health care to younger people with grave illnesses or disabilities.
About 72.4 million people are enrolled in Medicaid, the federal state program that provides health care to low-income people.
There are 7.1 million CHIP participants.
And 21.3 million people purchased health insurance on the ACA platform during the 2024 open enrollment period.
According to a recent report from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, health care coverage is provided to 1 in 4 Americans financial report.
The agency spent about $1.516 trillion last fiscal year and employs more than 6,700 federal employees and contractors to handle the workload.
“CMS and its contractors process more than one billion Medicare claims annually, monitor quality of care, ensure states receive adequate funding for Medicaid benefits, and develop policies and procedures to ensure that beneficiaries receive the best possible service,” the report says.
“CMS also ensures the safety and quality of medical facilities, provides insurance coverage for workers who change jobs, and maintains the largest collection of health care data in the United States.”
Oz earned a bachelor’s degree from Harvard University, followed by an M.D. and M.B.A. from the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine and Wharton Business School.
He starred in the daytime show “Dr. Oz”, which ran from 2009 to 2022.
Oz’s nomination is subject to Senate confirmation and falls under the jurisdiction of the Finance Committee, currently chaired by Oregon Democratic Sen. Ron Wyden and Idaho GOP Sen. Mike Crapo.
Oz’s confirmation hearing won’t be his first time testifying before a Senate committee. Over 10 years ago testified before the Senate committee that his comments on a TV show about some weight loss supplements were “flowery.”
Last updated at 20:16, November 19, 2024
Pennsylvania Corner
In 2022, Mehmet Oz won the Republican primary for an open U.S. Senate seat in Pennsylvania, but not before a recount took place. Oz defeated challenger Dave McCormick by less than 1,000 votes. McCormick challenged U.S. Senator Bob Casey in this year’s election, and two news outlets declared him the winner. However, because the difference between Casey and McCormick was less than 0.5%, it triggered another statewide recount, which is currently underway.
U.S. Senator John Fetterman, who defeated Oz in the 2022 general election, he told CNN on Tuesday that he found the former TV doctor he mocked during his campaign to live in New Jersey more qualified than some members of President-elect Trump’s cabinet.
“Our politics are obviously different and we have history, but I don’t have any bitterness,” Fetterman said. “I have nothing against him. As long as he is willing to protect and preserve Medicaid and Medicare, I’m voting for the guy.”
