Dr. Mehmet Oz Nominated to Lead Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services

Nomination:
Dr. Mehmet Oz, a celebrity heart surgeon and TV personality, has been nominated by President-elect Donald Trump to lead the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS)12.

Agency Overview:
CMS is a federal agency that covers 160 million people, including newborns and nursing home residents, and has a $1.1 trillion budget. It oversees Medicare, the federal portion of Medicaid, the Children's Health Insurance Program, and the federal health insurance marketplace2.

Background:
Dr. Oz is known for hosting "The Dr. Oz Show" and has a background in heart surgery. He ran for the U.S. Senate in Pennsylvania in 2022 but lost to Democrat John Fetterman12.

Trump's Statement:
Trump praised Dr. Oz as an "eminent physician, heart surgeon, inventor, and world-class communicator" who will work to address the "health care crisis" and "take on the illness industrial complex"1.

Confirmation:
The nomination requires Senate confirmation. Dr. Oz will work with Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who has been nominated for Secretary of Health and Human Services, if both are confirmed1.

Goals:
Dr. Oz is expected to focus on cutting waste and fraud within CMS, which accounts for a significant portion of the nation's healthcare spend and budget1.

Sources:

1. https://www.cbsnews.com/news/trump-taps-dr-mehmet-oz-to-lead-medicare-and-medicaid-agency/

2. https://www.fox10phoenix.com/news/dr-oz-medicare-medicaid-services-what-to-know