Dr. Mehmet Oz, a former heart surgeon and television personality, is scheduled to answer queries from the Senate’s finance committee on Friday regarding his nomination to lead the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services under President Trump.
Following the hearing, the GOP-controlled finance committee will plan a vote on whether to advance Oz’s nomination to the full Senate, where his confirmation seems likely due to the Republican majority. If confirmed, Oz will be responsible for overseeing nearly $1.5 trillion allocated by the federal government for Medicare and Medicaid, two health insurance programs that serve seniors and low-income Americans and account for over one-third of the budget.
Medicare serves approximately 65 million individuals, through programs directly managed by the federal government or delegated to private insurers. Meanwhile, Medicaid assists around 85 million people, primarily through state-administered programs under CMS oversight.
Oz will have the authority to either implement or reject significant changes to Medicare and Medicaid proposed by the Biden administration, such as a costly initiative from November to extend coverage to weight loss medications like Wegovy and Ozempic.
He is also expected to be scrutinized for the considerable power he would hold over private health insurance as CMS administrator.
On Monday, CMS suggested several actions to reverse the Biden administration’s extensions to the insurance marketplace created by the Affordable Care Act, such as reducing the open enrollment period and excluding DACA recipients from coverage. In 2022, Oz commented that the law “caused havoc on our health care system” and expressed that he “wouldn’t have voted for it.”
Oz will be the fourth nominee for health official under Trump to be questioned by senators. This follows the abrupt cancellation of a hearing for Dr. David Weldon, after the White House withdrew his nomination to lead the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
On Thursday, a majority of senators on the health committee advanced Dr. Jay Bhattacharya, nominated to lead the National Institutes of Health, and Dr. Marty Makary, chosen for the Food and Drug Administration.
Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who is likely to oversee Oz as the Health and Human Services Secretary, was narrowly confirmed by the Senate a month ago.
In social media posts last month, Oz highlighted the “great conversations” he has had with key Republican figures he needs to persuade for his nomination.
Sen. Bill Cassidy of Louisiana, the Republican chair of the health committee, was among those who met with Oz last month. Cassidy, one of four medical doctors in the Senate, shared, “Great meeting with Dr. Mehmet Oz, President Trump’s nominee to lead the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. It will be great to have a doctor in charge,” in a post on Feb. 5.
Oz’s nomination has drawn criticism from several Senate Democrats, citing his previous engagement with “alarming pseudoscience,” his anti-abortion remarks, and potential conflicts of interest.
Previously, Oz served as a professor of cardiac surgery at Columbia University and hosted “The Dr. Oz Show” until 2022, when he halted new episodes to campaign for a Senate seat in Pennsylvania.
He lost that election to Democrat John Fetterman in a tight race where abortion emerged as a critical issue for voters.
As part of an ethics agreement released last month, Oz mentioned he would resign from roles at various companies, including the nutritional supplement firm iHerb and the pharmaceutical company Housey Pharma. He also committed to divest from multiple healthcare companies, such as the insurance behemoth UnitedHealth Group.
Following the Senate race, Oz was promoted as iHerb’s global advisor and continued to endorse iHerb’s supplements on social media after his nomination.
He has also been reposting segments from his show in recent years, including a clip shared on Sept. 4 from a sponsored interview discussing Medicare Advantage coverage. In 2020, he proposed that Medicare Advantage should be accessible to all Americans.
In the clip, Oz noted that Medicare Advantage enrollment had surged by 70% since the inception of his show. Current federal data indicates that just over half of seniors have opted for these plans over “original Medicare” coverage.
“I want to nudge you. I don’t want to shove you. But think about this, because a 70% increase since I started the show means a lot to me,” he stated.
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