President-elect Donald Trump on Tuesday announced that he was picking Dr. Mehmet Oz to run the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). Oz is commonly referred to as "Dr. Oz," in a nod to his long-running television talk show.
"Dr. Oz will be a leader in incentivizing Disease Prevention, so we get the best results in the World for every dollar we spend on Healthcare in our Great Country," Trump said in a statement.
"He will also cut waste and fraud within our Country’s most expensive Government Agency, which is a third of our Nation’s Healthcare spend, and a quarter of our entire National Budget," it added.
Oz ran unsuccessfully for the Senate in Pennsylvania in 2022 as a Republican and a vocal supporter of Trump. Oz recently expressed his backing for Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s nomination to lead the Department of Health and Human Services.
As the administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, Oz would report to Kennedy. If confirmed by the Senate, he would oversee key programs—Medicaid, Medicare, and the Affordable Care Act.
Medicaid offers nearly free healthcare to millions of low-income children and adults, while Medicare provides health coverage to older Americans and those with disabilities.