Friday, April 04, 2025

Senate Confirms Dr. Oz to Oversee Medicare and Medicaid in a 53-45 Party Line Vote

Dr. Mehmet Oz, the heart surgeon turned daytime television star, has a new job — overseeing the nation’s largest health insurance programs.

The chamber voted Thursday 53 to 45 along party lines to confirm Oz to lead the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.
Oz, who has touted controversial therapies and pushed unproven theories about Covid-19 cures including hydroxychloroquine, will make and implement major decisions impacting the insurance coverage of more than 160 million people.

Dr. Oz Confirmed By Senate, Now Leads Medicare and Medicaid

Senate confirms Dr. Oz to lead Medicare and Medicaid

He will oversee how physicians are paid through Medicare.

Mehmet Oz stands as his daughter Daphne Oz looks on.

Dr. Mehmet Oz stands as his daughter Daphne Oz (right) looks on after his confirmation hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington, on March 14. | Ben Curtis/AP

He will have oversight over how physicians are paid through Medicare, which often sets a standard commercial insurers follow, and he will oversee more than $1.5 trillion in federal spending across Medicare, Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act’s insurance exchanges.

Oz will have to navigate complex regulatory issues with fewer staff than his predecessors due to a massive reorganization launched by HHS on Tuesday that saw 10,000 people lose their jobs.

It remains unclear how many people are affected within CMS. Originally the agency announced 300 people were fired but the impact will be felt across numerous government programs. For instance, HHS cut staff at the Office of Minority Health and closed five regional offices that assisted states and community groups with Medicare issues.

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Former heart surgeon and TV pitchman Dr. Mehmet Oz became the agency's administrator in a party line 53-45 vote

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Why Was The Dr. Oz Show Canceled?

Oz hosted a popular daytime television show from 2009 through 2022, when he left to run for Pennsylvania’s open Senate seat.

He lost that race to Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.).

Oz discussed wellness issues on the show and landed in hot water more than a decade ago for promoting misleading treatments, leading to a contentious hearing back in 2014 before a Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation subcommittee.
Now that he is confirmed, Oz will be the administration’s front man on key issues such as Medicaid reform.
House Republicans on the Energy and Commerce Committee are seeking $880 billion in savings for a larger spending package, and some lawmakers have their sights set on Medicaid, which they believe is bloated and rife with waste and abuse.