Trump picks TV personality and former Senate candidate Mehmet Oz to run Medicare and Medicaid agency
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Trump Nominates Dr. Mehmet Oz to Oversee Medicare and Medicaid
Above: Mehmet Oz attends Ellis Island Medals Of Honor Ceremony at Ellis Island on May 18, 2024 in New York City. Image copyright: Chance Yeh/Contributor/Getty Images Entertainment via Getty Images
The Facts
US Pres.-elect Donald Trump on Tuesday nominated celebrity doctor Mehmet Oz, known as Dr. Oz, to run the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS).
Alongside Medicare and Medicaid, CMS, which is under the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), manages the Affordable Care Act marketplaces. In total, it oversees the health insurance of 155M Americans.
The Spin
Republican narrative
Americans have long been contaminated by the healthcare establishment, which is why Dr. Oz is a great pick. He has spent his life publicly advocating for healthy living and after he and Kennedy are done with the bloated and inefficient health bureaucracy, these institutions will finally work for the benefit of the American people.
Democratic narrative
These Trump nominations are dangerous picks for US health leadership. Dr. Oz's history of promoting pseudoscience, unproven "miracle cures," and prioritizing entertainment over medical ethics undermines trust in evidence-based care. Conspiracy theorists and TV doctors should not be in charge of the health of 150M Americans.