Television personality and medical professional Dr. Mehmet Oz faced tough questioning from senators on Friday during a hearing regarding his nomination to lead an agency responsible for overseeing health coverage for over 160 million Americans. When President Donald Trump initially nominated Dr. Oz to head the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, he praised him as highly qualified to “Make America Healthy Again.”
At the hearing, Dr. Oz emphasized his commitment to empowering patients to manage their healthcare and combatting fraud and abuse to protect federal health programs. Drawing on his experience as a well-known television host, Dr. Oz pledged to prioritize the well-being of vulnerable populations and address chronic diseases contributing to rising health costs.
During the Senate Finance Committee confirmation hearing in Washington on March 14, 2025, Senate Democrats raised concerns about potential cuts to Medicaid for low-income individuals and questioned Dr. Oz’s promotion of alternative health remedies in his past TV segments.
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) falls under the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, overseen by Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. CMS manages Medicare for seniors and individuals with disabilities, as well as Medicaid for low-income families, making it one of the world’s largest health care purchasers with significant spending.
Regarding Medicaid, Dr. Oz stated he has not seen any House bills proposing cuts to the program and expressed his desire to ensure that children do not lose access to health insurance. Additionally, Dr. Oz acknowledged concerns raised by Senator Bill Cassidy about prior authorization practices in private Medicare plans and suggested the need for clearer descriptions of approved services.
In instances where private Medicare plans may require preauthorization, Cassidy brought attention to the fact that private Medicare Advantage plans receive higher federal funding per patient compared to government-run Medicare. He raised the issue with Oz, questioning how he planned to address this funding imbalance. Oz, a supporter of private Medicare plans, admitted that the more substantial payments to these plans are disproportionate and pledged to tackle practices like upcoding to secure increased payments from the taxpayer-funded program. Oz’s commitment to combat upcoding garnered bipartisan approval, with him stating, “We need to target areas where we are not effectively managing taxpayers’ money.” On the subject of drug-pricing intermediaries known as pharmacy benefit managers, Oz advocated for complete transparency in their operations to expose discrepancies between what they pay for drugs and what they charge consumers. During his 2022 Senate campaign in Pennsylvania, Oz revealed significant holdings in companies regulated by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, including shares in UnitedHealth Group, CVS Health, Amazon, and Microsoft. Following calls from Sen. Elizabeth Warren to divest from these holdings and uphold strong ethical standards, Oz has offered to divest a substantial portion of his investments and step down from advisory roles.
