Trump Nominates Dr. Mehmet Oz to Oversee Medicare and Medicaid
US Pres.-elect Donald Trump on Tuesday nominated celebrity doctor Mehmet Oz, known as Dr. Oz, to run the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS)....
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Facts
- US Pres.-elect Donald Trump on Tuesday nominated celebrity doctor Mehmet Oz, known as Dr. Oz, to run the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS).[1][2]
- Alongside Medicare and Medicaid, CMS, which is under the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), manages the Affordable Care Act marketplaces. In total, it oversees the health insurance of 155M Americans.[3]
- Oz is a cardiologist and professor emeritus at Columbia University. He ran for US Senate in 2022 but was defeated by Democrat John Fetterman, who tweeted that he would vote to confirm Oz's appointment if he vowed to protect Medicare and Medicaid.[2][4][5]
- Oz holds a degree from Harvard, as well as a joint medical and business degree from the University of Pennsylvania. He's been criticized for promoting drugs like hydroxychloroquine and chloroquine to treat COVID.[6][7]
- In addition, he has advocated for a universal health coverage model centered on private Medicare Advantage plans — a proposal that deviates from traditional conservative health policies.[7]
- If confirmed by the Senate, he will be in charge of an agency that has 6.5K employees and spends roughly $1.5T annually. He would work under Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary nominee Robert F. Kennedy Jr., should they both be confirmed.[3]
Sources: [1]Washington Post, [2]New York Post, [3]NPR Online News, [4]FOX News, [5]X, [6]One America and [7]New York Times.
Narratives
- Republican narrative, as provided by PJ Media and Townhall. Americans have long been contaminated by the healthcare establishment, which is why Dr. Oz is a great pick. He has spent his life publicly advocating for healthy living and after he and Kennedy are done with the bloated and inefficient health bureaucracy, these institutions will finally work for the benefit of the American people.
- Democratic narrative, as provided by The New Republic and Youtube. These Trump nominations are dangerous picks for US health leadership. Dr. Oz's history of promoting pseudoscience, unproven 'miracle cures,' and prioritizing entertainment over medical ethics undermines trust in evidence-based care. Conspiracy theorists and TV doctors should not be in charge of the health of 150M Americans.
