President-elect Donald Trump has announced that he will nominate Dr. Mehmet Oz, the well-known television personality and former heart surgeon, to serve as the administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). The nomination comes as Trump continues to shape his incoming administration, with a particular focus on overhauling the nation’s healthcare system.
Dr. Oz, more commonly known to his millions of viewers as simply “Dr. Oz,” rose to fame as a frequent guest on Oprah Winfrey’s show before launching his own successful daytime TV program, “The Dr. Oz Show,” in 2009. The show, which won several Daytime Emmy Awards, provided medical advice and promoted healthy lifestyle choices. However, Dr. Oz’s advice has often been criticized for lacking scientific rigor, with a 2014 study declaring half of it “baseless or wrong.”
Despite these criticisms, Trump praised Dr. Oz’s qualifications and experience, stating, “America is facing a healthcare crisis, and there may be no physician more qualified and capable than Dr. Oz to Make America Healthy Again.” Trump highlighted Dr. Oz’s background as a heart surgeon, inventor, and communicator, emphasizing that he would be a key leader in incentivizing disease prevention and cutting waste and fraud within CMS.
CMS is a massive federal agency that operates or oversees programs providing health coverage to about half of all Americans. These programs include Medicare, Medicaid, the Children’s Health Insurance Program, and the Affordable Care Act marketplace exchange. With a budget that accounts for nearly a quarter of the entire federal budget, CMS plays a crucial role in determining healthcare access and quality for millions of Americans.
Trump’s decision to nominate Dr. Oz comes amid broader plans to reform the healthcare system. The president-elect has already appointed Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a known vaccine skeptic, to lead the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), of which CMS is a part. Trump envisions Dr. Oz and Kennedy working closely together to “take on the illness industrial complex and all the horrible chronic diseases left in its wake.”
Dr. Oz’s nomination has sparked mixed reactions. While some applaud his efforts to promote healthy living, others express concern about his track record of promoting unproven medical treatments and misinformation. During the COVID-19 pandemic, for instance, Dr. Oz promoted the use of hydroxychloroquine as a treatment for the virus, despite a lack of scientific evidence supporting its effectiveness.
Moreover, Dr. Oz’s political ambitions have also been the subject of scrutiny. In 2022, he ran for a U.S. Senate seat in Pennsylvania as a Republican but lost to Democratic incumbent John Fetterman. During his campaign, Dr. Oz faced criticism for his residency status and for promoting products on his show that were later found to have questionable health benefits.
If confirmed by the Senate, Dr. Oz will oversee a wide range of healthcare programs, including setting Medicare payment rates for hospitals, doctors, and other service providers. He will also play a pivotal role in shaping policies related to the Affordable Care Act, commonly known as Obamacare, which Trump has long vowed to repeal and replace.