Former Heart Surgeon and Television Host Dr. Mehmet Oz testified before the Senate Finance Committee on Friday His nomination To make the heads of the centers of Medicare and Medicaid Services under President Trump.
The GOP-led committee will subsequently set a vote on whether to send OZ’s nomination to the Senate, where he is likely to be approved on the basis of the Republican majority.
If confirmed, the Oz will be the administrator that the federal government will be accused of monitoring about $ 1.5 trillion spent on Medicare and Medicaid. Two health insurance programs for senior and poor Americans are more than one -third of the budget budget.
Medicare covers about 65 million people, directly through programs conducted by the federal government or contract with private insurers. Medicaid supports about 85 million, mainly through programs conducted by the state government supervised by CMS.
CMS also sets rules that affect private health insurance, including overseeing the health insurance market of CMS affordable care law.
Oz earlier worked as a host of cardiac surgery at the University of Columbia and served as the host of “The Dr. Oz Show” until 2022, when he stopped tapping new television episodes to become a Senate seat in Pennsylvania. He lost this Senate race to Democrat John Fetterman, in one Narrow competition Where abortion has been ranked as a top topic of voters.
Oz’s priority for Medicare and Medicaid
In the modernization of the oz agency’s systems and equipment, the outline of the waste and fraud and the outline of focusing on Americans to encourage the choice of healthy living.
“Some of them are not difficult. Some of them need to be simplified. And some of them need to be reminded frequently,” he wants to encourage the choice of healthy lifestyle, then added that “the idea of encouraging patients is an idea that I think especially for Medicaid Beneficiaries.”
Like the biden administration, like Medicare and Medicaid, will depend on OZ to finalize or leave some major changes, such as A valuable offer To extend the coverage in drugs used for weight loss in November in November.
Oz did not address the proposal directly during the hearing. However he promised to continue Medicare A discussion program launched by the Biden Administration from the Act of inflation.
“It’s law. I’m going to protect it and use it,” Oz told senators.
He also supported allowing the need for work in Medicaid. Oz also said that he would like to expand the work requirements extensively, to go to school or to include activities like a church volunteer.
“I don’t think you need to use the papers to prove the need for any job. And I don’t think it should be used as a barrier, a continuous attempt to prevent people with Medicaid,” he said.
Oz criticizes the benefits of Medicare
During the hearing on Friday, the Oz insurance industry combines the Medicare Advantage as one of the largest sources of waste and abuse in the industry.
According to the latest federal data instead of “Original Medicare” coverage, only more than half of the senior selected these plans given by private insurers but paid by taxpayers.
He spent on private options showing the Traditional Medicare Coverage to “reverse” as “reversed”, what it should be, it should question the expenses by brokers’ plans and efforts to persuade the seniors to sign up.
He also criticized the “upcoding” practice in Medicare Advantage, where the suppliers or patients have plans to consider their nature as ill.
Oz said, “A part of it is only recognizing a new sheriff in the city.
Oz calls to restrict previous approval
Oz also questioned the significant authority that he would run on private health insurance.
Monday, CMS proposed to take several steps to reverses the expansion of the Biden administration in the insurance market built by the CMS affordable Care Act, such as shortening and excluding the duration of open enrollment Daca recipient From the coverage. In 2022, OZ said that the law “caused disaster in our health care system” and he “did not vote for it.”
During the hearing OZ Health Insurance Companies criticized the abuse of previous approval – sometimes Delay in treating As long as physicians and patients can induce insurers that it is necessary – as “a pox on the system”.
He told the senators, “We’re spending money, wasting money, trying to do a process that should be automated.
The Republican will be confirmed optimistic oz
He has to win for his nomination “great conversation” with OZ Key Republicans on social media posts last month. At the hearing on Friday, multiple Republicans said they would be optimistic oz.
Louisiana Sen Bill Cassidy, a Republican chair of the Senate Health Committee, was in place with OZ last month. One of the four medical doctors in the Cassidy Senate.
“Great meeting with President Trump’s nominee Dr. Mehmet Oz to lead Medicare and Medicaid Services Centers. A doctor will be in charge,” Casid posted on February 7.
Oz was the fourth oz of Trump’s health officer selection to interrogate the senators. It comes out the day after Dr. David Weldon suddenly canceled after the White House Withdraw his nomination The main centers of the disease control and prevention centers.
Most of the senators of the Senate Health Committee developed the president’s nominee Dr. J Bhattacharya as the head of the National Health Institute on Thursday and the head of the food and drug administration on Thursday. Marti Maker.
Oz’s potential new supervisor, Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. was confirmed by the Senate a month ago.
Democrats criticized Oz’s past
During the hearing, OGE’s top Democrat Oregon’s Sen Ron Wider was accused of “Duding Medicare and Social Security Tax” during the hearing. Widene said that a tax lufole “has benefited Dr. OZD for $ 440,000 in the last three years.”
During the hearing, OZ did not respond to the allegations. A memo of the committee’s Democratic Staff reached the conclusion that Oz paid his tax on the basis of his submitted question papers, on his tax return and financial manifestation.
“Now, the physician will testify to his concerns for Medicare’s well -being, yet he refuses to pay the same tax that several million Americans pay in each salary verification,” Wide said.
The selection of the CMS chief president has received criticism from the Senate Democrats for months, who quoted Oz’s past “anxious pseudoscience”, anti -abortion statement records and records of anxiety conflict.
As part of an ethics agreement published last month, Oz said he would resign from several companies, including the nutritional supplement, Ayharb and drug maker home pharmar. He also promised to deviate from several healthcare organizations, including the Insurance Giant United Heroth Group.
After the Senate Race was advertised as a global adviser to Oz in OZ. After the nomination, he continued to propagate Eyehar on social media.
He has also continued to re -publish the past parts from his show in recent years after the Senate Race, with a sponsored interview about Medicare Advantage Coverage. In 2020, the oz will later suggest that the Medicare facility should be extended to all Americans.
Clip Oz said that since he started his show, enrollment in Medicare Advantage increased 70%.
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Contributed to this report.
Alexander Tin
Alexander Teen Washington is a Digital Reporter of CBS News located in the DC Bureau. He covers the Federal Public Health Agency.