WASHINGTON – President-elect Donald Trump has announced Dr. Mehmet Oz as his nominee to lead the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), citing the cardiothoracic surgeon’s background as a physician, health advocate, and television personality.
“America is facing a healthcare crisis, and there may be no physician more qualified and capable than Dr. Oz to make America healthy again,” Trump said in a statement, touting Oz’s career as a surgeon, inventor, and communicator.
Dr. Oz, 64, rose to prominence as a frequent guest on “The Oprah Winfrey Show” before launching his own syndicated TV program, “The Dr. Oz Show,” in 2009. He also has a political history, running unsuccessfully for the U.S. Senate in Pennsylvania as a Republican in 2022.
Trump highlighted Oz’s mandate to reduce waste and fraud within CMS, which oversees Medicare, Medicaid, and Affordable Care Act exchanges that provide coverage for over 150 million Americans. The agency accounts for about one-third of U.S. healthcare spending and nearly a quarter of the federal budget.
If confirmed, Dr. Oz will serve under Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who has been nominated as Secretary of Health and Human Services. The two are expected to collaborate on Trump’s agenda, which includes addressing chronic diseases and reforming the nation’s healthcare systems.