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President-elect Donald Trump has picked Dr. Mehmet Oz to serve as the administrator for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, a key federal agency that oversees health insurance coverage for more than 150 million Americans.
Dr. Oz rose to fame as a frequent guest of Oprah Winfrey, eventually launching his own syndicated daytime TV talk show in 2009. Through “The Dr. Oz Show,” which won several daytime Emmy awards and reached millions of viewers, Oz became one of the most well-known doctors in the country.
Dr. Mehmet Oz, a cardiothoracic surgeon and television personality, ran unsuccessfully for Senate in 2022 in Pennsylvania with Trump’s backing.
In 2018, Trump appointed Oz to the Presidential Council on Sports, Fitness and Nutrition, reappointing him to the position in 2020.
Oz’s earlier backing of the Affordable Care Act stands in sharp contrast with Trump’s view on the law, which he promised to repeal and replace in his first presidential campaign. Though Trump now says he would not try to get rid of Obamacare, he has repeatedly said he would replace it with a better plan – though the president-elect has not provided details on such a policy.
Oz’s selection continues Trump’s string of unconventional picks for key roles in his administration, including Robert F. Kennedy Jr. for secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services. If they are both confirmed, Kennedy would be Oz’s boss. For CMS administrator in his first term, Trump chose Seema Verma, who had a long history in health policy and consulting with a specialty in Medicaid.
Oz has also held other views that are not in line with traditional Republican orthodoxy. As a physician, for example, he advocated that everyone in America have insurance. Oz has said that the government should provide health care coverage to Americans who cannot afford it. “It should be mandatory that everybody in America have health care coverage. If you can’t afford it, we have to give it to you,” Oz told The Seattle Times in 2009.
“This is a great opportunity to help patients and implement conservative health reforms,” the Louisiana Republican posted on X.
Trump said in a statement on Tuesday. “I have known Dr. Oz for many years, and I am confident he will fight to ensure everyone in America receives the best possible Healthcare, so our Country can be Great and Healthy Again!. Dr. Oz will be a leader in incentivizing Disease Prevention, so we get the best results in the World for every dollar we spend on Healthcare in our Great Country.”
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