President-elect Donald Trump has nominated Mehmet Oz, MD, as administrator for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, according to a Nov. 19 Truth Social post.
"America is facing a healthcare crisis, and there may be no physician more qualified and capable than Dr. Oz to make America healthy again," Mr. Trump said in the post.
Here are 10 things to know:
1. CMS is a federal agency that provides coverage to more than 160 million Americans through Medicare, Medicaid, the Children's Health Insurance Program and the Health Insurance Marketplace.
2. Dr. Oz was born in Cleveland and raised outside of Philadelphia, according to PBS. He received an undergraduate degree from Harvard University and a joint medical degree and MBA from the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine and Wharton Business School in Philadelphia, according to doctoroz.com.
3. On the education and clinical side, Dr. Oz served as a professor emeritus at New York City-based Columbia University and led the heart institute at New York City-based New York Presbyterian Medical Center with a research focus in healthcare policy, minimally invasive surgery, heart replacement surgery and complementary medicine.
4. Dr. Oz has also spent decades in television, where he has won nine Daytime Emmy awards for "The Dr. Oz Show." He was also featured as a health expert for six seasons on "The Oprah Winfrey Show" and has authored more than 400 original publications.
5. In 2022, Dr. Oz earned the nomination for the Pennsylvania Republican party for the U.S. Senate, where he was defeated by Democrat John Fetterman, NPR reported.
6. Dr. Oz threw his support behind Mr. Trump's Nov. 14 nomination of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as Secretary of Health and Human Services, which oversees CMS.
"Americans need better research on healthy lifestyle choices from unbiased scientists, and [Mr. Kennedy can help as HHS secretary," Dr. Oz said in a Nov. 14 X post.
7. Dr. Oz has faced criticism for promoting weight-loss solutions lacking scientific evidence, which led to his testimony before a U.S. Senate subcommittee on consumer protection in 2014. While he has defended his intentions, Dr. Oz admitted that some of the language used to promote the solutions was "flowery," CNN reported. He has also made claims about alternative treatments like homeopathy and detox diets. A 2014 BMJ study revealed that less than half of the recommendations made on medical talk shows such as his had evidence-based associations. During the COVID-19 pandemic, CNBC reported that Dr. Oz had promoted hydroxychloroquine, an anti-malaria drug, as a potential COVID-19 treatment after speaking with health experts who saw it as a viable treatment option.
8. In Mr. Trump's Nov. 19 nomination post, he shared how Dr. Oz will "be a leader in incentivizing disease protection" so that Americans get the best results in the world for the healthcare we spend our money on. "He will also cut waste and fraud within our country's most expensive government agency, which is a third of our nation's healthcare spend, and a quarter of our entire national budget," Mr. Trump said.
9. During his second term, Mr. Trump will face decisions about the future of healthcare, including whether to support permanently extending enhanced premium tax credits for ACA marketplace coverage. These credits, extended under the Inflation Reduction Act, are set to expire in 2025. Trump has indicated he may consider changes to the ACA if a less costly alternative is proposed. Health analysts predict significant growth in Medicare Advantage during a second Trump term, according to KFF Health News. Project 2025, a Heritage Foundation policy proposal Trump has distanced himself from, suggests making private-run Medicare Advantage plans the default enrollment option.
10. "We congratulate Dr. Mehmet Oz on his nomination to be CMS Administrator, and we look forward to working with the Administration to advance Americans’ health care outcomes and protect 24/7 patient care," the Federation of American Hospitals said in a Nov. 19 statement shared with Becker's.