Trump taps Dr. Oz to run Medicare and Medicaid

Donald Trump announced Mehmet Oz, popularly known as Dr. Oz, to run the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) during his second administration. The president-elect made the announcement on social media, professionally highlighting Oz and assuring that he will work side by side with Robert Kennedy Jr. to solve the "health crisis."

"America is facing a Healthcare Crisis, and there may be no Physician more qualified and capable than Dr. Oz to Make America Healthy Again. He is an eminent Physician, Heart Surgeon, Inventor, and World-Class Communicator, who has been at the forefront of healthy living for decades," Trump expressed on social media.

The president-elect remarked that Oz will work together with Kennedy, recently announced as secretary of Health and Human Services, to "make America healthy again." At the same time, he emphasized his mission to deregulate the sector.

"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. He will also cut waste and fraud within our Country’s most expensive Government Agency, which is a third of our Nation’s Healthcare spend, and a quarter of our entire National Budget," Trump continued.

The son of Turkish immigrants, Oz graduated from Harvard University and the University of Pennsylvania, where he studied medicine.

He rose to national fame for his appearances as a medical expert on the Oprah Winfrey show, a role in which he lasted five seasons. His popularity was such that he launched his own program, "The Dr. Oz Show," which lasted more than a decade on the air.

As for his political career, he was a donor to Republican candidates for many years. Among the many recipients were John McCain and Bill Frist. In 2018, President Trump appointed him to the President's Council on Sports, Fitness and Nutrition, where he remained until 2022, when Joe Biden removed him due to his Pennsylvania Senate candidacy.

With Trump's endorsement, Oz prevailed in a very tight Republican primary, in which he defeated Dave McCormick by 951 votes among 1,345,577 cast.

Despite polls showing him barely ahead going into the general election, he lost to Democrat John Fetterman by nearly five percentage points, 51.2% to 46.3%.

Oz recently defined himself as a "moderate" Republican and identifies as a "secular Muslim." He is married to Liz Oz, an author and television personality, with whom he has four children. Their eldest daughter, Daphne, followed in her parents' footsteps and is an author and television host.

What does CMS do?

According to its own website, CMS "provides health coverage to more than 160 million through Medicare, Medicaid, the Children's Health Insurance Program, and the Health Insurance Marketplace."

According to the administration, its work seeks to "strengthen and modernize the Nation’s health care system, to provide access to high quality care and improved health at lower costs."