Donald Trump selects Dr. Oz — yes, that Dr. Oz — to run Medicare and Medicaid
The former TV personality will oversee the organization that provides healthcare to over 150 million people.
The doctor is in… a critical administrative role in the federal government?
President-elect Donald Trump has selected Dr. Mehmet Oz to run the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services during his forthcoming presidency. "There may be no Physician more qualified and capable than Dr. Oz to Make America Healthy Again," Trump said in a statement announcing his decision to nominate Oz for the position. "Dr. Oz will work closely with Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to take on the illness industrial complex, and all the horrible chronic diseases left in its wake."
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Dr. Mehmet Oz and Donald TrumpTrump went on to boast about Oz's graduation from "my powerful alma mater," Wharton Business School, and shouted out the doctor's nine Daytime Emmy Awards from The Dr. Oz Show, "where he taught millions of Americans how to make healthier lifestyle choices, and gave a strong voice to the key pillars of the MAHA Movement."
The president-elect concluded, "I have known Dr. Oz for many years, and I am confident he will fight to ensure everyone in America receives the best possible Healthcare, so our Country can be Great and Healthy Again!"
Related: TV doctors like Dr. Phil, Dr. Oz keep blowing it when talking coronavirus
Oz's position will place him in charge of Medicare, the federal organization that provides healthcare to Americans over 65 years old and disabled individuals, as well as Medicaid, the org that provides coverage to low-income people. Medicare currently provides healthcare to over 66 million people, while Medicaid covers over 88 million.
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Oz first rose to national fame when he made dozens of appearances alongside Oprah Winfrey on The Oprah Winfrey Show in the 2000s. He launched his own daytime talk show, The Dr. Oz Show, in 2009. The show ran for 13 seasons before Oz made his political aspirations official, launching a campaign (and ultimately receiving the Republican nomination) for a Senate seat in Pennsylvania. He ultimately lost his 2022 bid to Democrat John Fetterman.
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Dr. Mehmet OzOz has been repeatedly criticized for his response to the COVID-19 pandemic, and was condemned by a group of over 500 Jeopardy contestants when he was announced as a temporary guest host after Alex Trebek's death. " Throughout his nearly two decades on television he has used his authority as a doctor to push harmful ideas onto the American public, in stark contrast with his oath to first do no harm," the game show competitors wrote in a statement.
The doctor's controversial views and Republican affiliation led Winfrey, a Democrat, to ultimately endorse Fetterman despite her history with Oz. "If I lived in Pennsylvania, I would've already cast my vote for John Fetterman for many reasons," she said in November 2022.
Oz has yet to comment on his forthcoming nomination for the CMS role, but did congratulate Trump on his victory earlier this month. "The American people have spoken in support of his desire to make our great nation strong, safe and healthy again," he said. "The election presents a powerful mandate to solve problems that hurt us today and will cripple future generations."
Oz is the third TV personality who has been announced as a future nominee for a federal appointment during Trump's second term, following Fox & Friends host Pete Hegseth (who will receive the nomination for Secretary of Defense) and Fox Business' The Bottom Line co-host Sean Duffy (who will be nominated for Secretary of Transportation).
