The television host and surgeon, Dr. Mehmet Oz, faced intense questions during an audience in the Senate on Friday concerning his appointment to direct the centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), a pivot agency supervising health coverage for more than 160 million Americans.
President Donald Trump had previously congratulated Oz, saying: “There may not be a more qualified doctor and capable than Dr. Oz to make America in good health” during his name for the role. During the hearing, OZ underlined its commitment to empower patients, to fight against fraud and to protect vulnerable populations while attacking chronic diseases to reduce federal health spending.
“I undertake to do everything I can, work tirelessly, to make sure that the CMS offers Americans access to superb care, especially to the Americans who are our most vulnerable – our young people, our disabled and our elderly,” said Oz.
However, the Democrats of the Senate pressed it on questions surrounding the potential cups of Medicaid, its history of promoting alternative health remedies on television and its past financial transactions. Senator Ron Wyden, D-ear., Expressed his concerns concerning the OZ file on the payment of taxes on health insurance and social security and questioned his involvement in what he called “well-being grifting”.
In response to questions about Medicaid, Oz said he had not seen any proposed house bill that sought to reduce the program. He reassured the legislators, in particular Senator Maggie Hassan, DN.H., that he did not want children to lose their health insurance.
The senators also questioned Oz on the private plans of Medicare, with Senator Bill Cassidy, R-La., Asked the previous authorization practices that delay care. Oz has agreed that these practices are often used badly and have suggested introducing clearer directives for their use.
With regard to drug prices, Oz called for “complete and radical transparency” of pharmacy services, criticizing the lack of transparency of pricing and saying that it causes swollen costs.
Oz’s financial history were also examined, senators referring to his financial disclosure of the Senate in 2022. He previously declared that he has held significant actions in health companies regulated by CMS, notably Unitedhealth Group, CVS Health, Amazon and Microsoft.
The CMS is one of the largest buyers of health care in the world, supervising Medicare, Medicaid and spending 1.5 billion of dollars during the year 2024. It deals with more than a billion drug claims per year and monitors the quality of health care through inspections and audits.
