Senate Approves Mehmet Oz to Head Medicare and Medicaid Agency

Dr. Mehmet Oz, the former heart surgeon and TV personality, was confirmed on Thursday to lead the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.

In a highly divided Senate that once again voted almost completely upon party lines with 53 in favor and 45 against, the administrator for the agency was Oz, aged sixty-four. In his new job, he will supervise health insurance programs that nearly half of the U.S. population relies on for their health insurance, from Medicare to Medicaid to the intermediaries for coverage under the Affordable Care Act. He takes charge while Congress debates possible cuts to the Medicaid program, one that cares for millions of low-income and disabled Americans.

Oz has given little indication whether he would oppose cuts to the instrument of government charity; instead, he has spoken of a vision of public health that includes lifestyle changes, designs for artificial intelligence and tele-health for good integration, and a complete rethink of health care delivery in rural areas.

With regard to work requirements for Medicaid recipients, he testified last month in favor of them-but insisted that paperwork not be allowed to become a barrier to verify employment-that is, to keep people from staying enrolled.

Meanwhile, Oz is also a very respected heart surgeon who has been working in Columbia University for several years. It is also relevant that many doctors are reluctant to accept Medicaid patients because its reimbursement is low, but he has stated that so long as we keep expanding Medicaid eligibility without further resources for doctors, we will be drastically cutting down care options for the program's main clientele-children, pregnant women, and people with disability.

“We have to make some important decisions to improve the quality of care,” he said.

Oz has developed a close rapport with his new boss, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., frequently hosting the health secretary and his team at his Florida home. He has embraced Kennedy's "Make America Healthy Again" campaign, which aims to revamp the nation's food supply, oppose vaccine mandates, and challenge certain long-standing scientific research.

The former TV show host frequently emphasizes the importance of a healthy diet, closely aligning with Kennedy’s views.

Although he has faced criticism for promoting unproven vitamin supplements and holistic treatments key elements of the “MAHA movement”, he has consistently encouraged Americans to get vaccinated.

Oz will take over CMS just days after the agency was shielded from the deep cuts that Kennedy implemented at other public health agencies. Thousands of employees at the Food and Drug Administration, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and National Institutes of Health have lost their jobs due to mass layoffs that began on Tuesday.
CMS is expected to lose around 300 staff members, including those working on minority health initiatives and efforts to reduce healthcare delivery costs.