Trump nominates Dr. Oz to lead Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
Dr. Oz selected to Trump administration
President-elect Trump announced on Tuesday that he will nominate Dr. Mehmet Oz to serve as the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Administrator in January. "Dr. Oz will work closely with Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to take on the illness industrial complex, and all the horrible chronic diseases left in its wake," Trump said in a statement." Our broken Healthcare System harms everyday Americans, and crushes our Country’s budget."
President-elect Donald Trump says he is nominating TV doctor Mehmet Oz to lead the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.
Oz is commonly referred to as "Dr. Oz," in a nod to his long-running television talk show.
Oz, a former heart surgeon, also ran for Senate in Pennsylvania as a Republican in 2022 and as an outspoken supporter of Trump, though his bid was unsuccessful.
FILE - Mehmet Oz, who ran for the US Senate, spoke as former US President Donald Trump stood behind him during a campaign rally in Pennsylvania on Sept. 3, 2022. (Photo by Ed Jones/AFP via Getty Images)
As the administrator for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, Oz would report to Trump’s pick to lead the Department of Health and Human Services, which is Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Oz previously expressed support for Kennedy’s nomination.
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If confirmed by the Senate, Oz would be responsible for the programs — Medicaid, Medicare and the Affordable Care Act — that more than half the country relies on for health insurance.
Medicaid provides nearly-free health care coverage to millions of the poorest children and adults in the U.S. while Medicare gives older Americans and the disabled access to health insurance.
The Affordable Care Act is the Obama-era program that offers health insurance plans to millions of Americans who do not qualify for government-assisted health insurance, but do not get insurance through their employer.
RELATED: Medicare premiums increasing in 2025
Other Trump nominations known from TV
Trump has named several other nominations whose names would be recognized from the TV and media space:
Sean Duffy, Secretary of Transportation
Trump named former Wisconsin Rep. Sean Duffy as his nominee to be transportation secretary.
Duffy is a former reality TV star who was one of Trump’s most visible defenders on cable news. He was featured on MTV’s "The Real World: Boston" in 1997. He met his future wife on the set of MTV’s "Road Rules: All Stars" in 1998.
Pete Hegseth, Secretary of Defense
Trump nominated FOX News Channel’s Pete Hegseth for Secretary of Defense.
Hegseth was an infantry captain in the Army National Guard and served overseas in Afghanistan, Iraq and Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, and is a co-host of FOX News Channel’s "Fox & Friends Weekend."
The Source: Information in this article was taken from a statement released on Nov. 19 to Trump’s Truth Social page, announcing Mehmet Oz’s nomination. This story was reported from Detroit.