Dr. Mehmet Oz, President Donald Trump’s draft pick leads the Center for Medicare and Medicaid, which will face problems before the Senate Finance Committee on Friday morning.
After the hearing, the committee will arrange a vote to send the Oz nomination to the entire Senate of the Senate, where approval may be considered for the Republican majority.
If confirmed, OZ will be responsible for nearly $1.5 trillion in federal health care spending. According to the Medicare Advocacy Center, Medicare is a federal healthcare program for older people aged 65 and over, and currently covers approximately 65 million Americans. Medicaid assists low-income people to reach about 72 million Americans, according to Medicaid.gov.
3 things doctor. The Wizard of Oz can be used as a CMS administrator to help repair US healthcare
Former Republican U.S. Senate candidate Dr. Mehmet Oz held a safer street community discussion at Galdos Catering and Entertainment in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on October 13, 2022. (Mark Makela/Getty Images)
A former cardiac surgeon saw his reputation on daytime TV appearances and 13 seasons of the “Wife of Oz” show Open Senate seats in Pennsylvania In 2022. He eventually lost to John Fetterman, the state’s then-lieutenant governor. Oz graduated from Harvard and received a degree in medicine and business from the University of Pennsylvania.
OZ is expected to be grilled by Democrats during the hearing about financial links with numerous health care-related companies, some of which pose a potential conflict of interest to potential CMS directors.
The Wizard of Oz has committed to divesting many of his financial interests that pose the most obvious malpractice risks, such as his hundreds of thousands of dollars in stock in the major private health insurance company United Health Group. He also said that if confirmed, he would lose nearly $25 million in stock gains he earned as a company consultant selling health and beauty supplements.
Donald Trump was behind then-Pennsylvania Senate candidate Mehmet Oz at a rally Saturday, September 3, 2022 in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania. (Photographer: Michelle Gustafson/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
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As a CMS administrator, OZ will make decisions related to how the government covers procedures, hospitalizations and medications in federal health care programs, and the reimbursement rates for health care providers to pay for their services.
Trump’s draft pick leads the NIH and FDA on Thursday, Dr. Jay Bhattacharya and Dr. Marty Makary, Approved separately on the committee and will now face upcoming votes in the entire Senate.
