WASHINGTON – Dr. Mehmet Oz, a television host and surgeon, was confirmed to lead the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services on Thursday by a 53-45 vote that divided the United States Senate along party lines, with Republicans in favor and Democrats opposed.
During his confirmation hearing last month, Oz vowed to empower patients to take control of their health care while also cracking down on fraud, waste, and abuse to protect federal health programs.
Oz, a familiar face to Americans from years as a daytime television host, also stated that he would protect vulnerable Americans while addressing chronic disease, which leads to increased federal health spending.
“I commit to doing whatever I can, working tirelessly, to ensure that CMS provides Americans with access to superb care, especially Americans who are our most vulnerable − our young, our disabled and our elderly,” Mr. Oz stated.
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services report to the Department of Health and Human Services, which is led by Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. The agency is in charge of more than 160 million Americans’ health insurance coverage.
Oz was a cardiothoracic surgeon before becoming a health expert on “The Oprah Winfrey Show” in the 1990s. He eventually launched his own show, “The Dr. Oz Show,” which made him a household name. He has since publicly commented on a variety of health-related issues, including vitamin companies.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Trump reportedly watched Oz’s television appearances and appointed him as an informal adviser. Oz advocated for the malaria drugs hydroxychloroquine and chloroquine to treat COVID-19, a theory that was debunked but repeated by Trump and others for months.
Oz has been chastised for promoting medical treatments that are not supported by experts, such as combining pregnancy hormones with a 500-calorie diet to aid in weight loss.
In 2022, he lost a race for the United States Senate in Pennsylvania.
