Dr. Oz faces Senate grills on Capitol Hill on Friday
Dr. Mehmet Oz, President Donald Trump’s lead over the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid will face questions before a Senate Committee on Finance on Friday morning.
Following the hearing, the committee will schedule a vote to send Oz’s nomination, which is likely to result in approval, to the full Senate, taking into account the Republican majority.
If confirmed, OZ will be responsible for approximately $1.5 trillion in federal healthcare costs. According to the Centers for Medicare Advocacy, a federal healthcare program for seniors aged 65 and over, currently covers around 65 million Americans. Medicaid, which supports low-income people, covers around 72 million Americans, according to Medicaid.gov.
Three things doctor. Oz can do it as a CMS administrator to help fix American healthcare
Former GOP US Senate candidate Dr. Mehmet Oz is holding a safer street community discussion with galdo skatering and entertainment on October 13, 2022 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Mark Makera/Getty Images)
The former heart surgeon, whose appearance on daytime television and his reputation rose in 13 seasons of “The Dr Oz Show,” later moved into politics and launched a failed bid. Pennsylvania Open Senate seat 2022. He was eventually defeated by the state’s lieutenant governor, John Fetterman. Oz graduated from Harvard University and earned a degree in medical and business from the University of Pennsylvania.
OZ is expected to be burned by Democrats during hearings over financial ties with countless healthcare companies, some of which will create a potential conflict of interest for potential CMS directors.
Oz is committed to selling many of his economic profits, including a stock of hundreds of thousands of dollars from leading private insurance company United Health Group, which poses the risk of fraud. He also said that if he was confirmed, he would confiscate nearly $25 million in stock options he obtained as an advisor to a company selling health and beauty supplements.
President Donald Trump stands behind Pennsylvania’s then Senate candidate, Mehmet Oz, during a rally in Wilkes-Barr, Pennsylvania on Saturday, September 3, 2022. (Photographer: Michelle Gustafson/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
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As the CMS administrator, OZ makes decisions related to procedures within federal healthcare programs, how hospital stays, how drug therapy is covered, and the rate at which healthcare providers receive payment for services.
On Thursday, Trump chose to lead the NIH and FDA. Dr. Jay Battacharya and Dr. Marty McCurry, Each was approved by the committee and now faces an imminent vote from the entire Senate.