Oz confirmed to oversee health insurance for millions of Americans
The Senate confirmed Mehmet Oz to lead the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services in a party line vote of 53-45 Thursday, placing him in charge of overseeing more than $1 trillion in annual spending.
Cementing his turn from daytime TV star to D.C. bureaucrat, Oz leveraged his physician bona fides to waltz through the confirmation process to helm the agency that regulates health insurance for millions of Americans.
The massive budget of Oz’s agency makes it a target for efforts to cut government spending. Oz dodged questions during his confirmation hearing over whether he would oppose cuts to Medicaid, the health insurance program for the poor. Republicans will be forced to weigh cuts to the program to meet their budgetary goals, reductions that could shutter rural hospitals and decimate maternity care.
Over 70 million low-income Americans rely on Medicaid for their health insurance.
Joan Alker, executive director and co-founder of the Center for Children and Families at Georgetown University, said there is plenty of reform for Medicaid that “can and should be done,” but she cautioned against a “sledgehammer” approach for Oz.
“Mistakes are very consequential for the folks who rely on Medicaid, often for life-and-death services,” she said.
The cardiothoracic surgeon also did not address concerns over multiple potential conflicts of interest he may face as head of CMS, including questions over a health benefits company he co-founded with his son, his prior advertising for weight-loss drugs and his history of endorsing supplements.
As head of CMS, Oz says he will focus on Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s agenda to “Make America Healthy Again” by focusing on preventive care.
“The deeper promise that we should all be making to America is we’re going to make it easy for America to do the right thing when it comes to their health,” Oz said at his confirmation hearing.
Oz has a real opportunity to improve America’s health with investments in preventive, primary and value-based care that he and the Kennedy team have indicated could be on the table, said Anand Parekh, the chief medical adviser at the Bipartisan Policy Center.
“If CMS wanted to be, they could be the most important prevention agency at HHS,” Parekh said, pointing to ways officials could invest in saving money on preventing elder adult falls or focusing on other chronic care services.
Republicans are thrilled with Oz’s health credentials, with one GOP senator saying it was a blessing Oz had lost his Senate race in 2022.
“We’re all very fortunate that you’re not sitting on this side of the dais, but you’re sitting on that side of the dais,” Sen. John Cornyn (Texas) said during Oz’s hearing in March. “What you will be able to do in your new capacity will outstrip anything you might be able to do as a legislator.”
Oz will take the reins amid a tumultuous time for the country’s health agencies. HHS laid off thousands of workers Tuesday, as part of a projected 25 percent reduction in force that Kennedy announced last week.
One of his first challenges will be deciding whether to expand the approval of the use of weight-loss drugs, which could cost the federal government an additional $35 billion between 2026 and 2034. Oz has previously sung the praises of such medication, while his new boss, Kennedy, has been an outspoken critic, saying in October, “They’re counting on selling it to Americans because we’re so stupid and so … addicted to drugs.”
At his confirmation hearing, Oz also promised to police upcoding in Medicare Advantage plans - Medicare-approved plans offered by private companies. He has previously advocated for expanding the use of the health plans.