What: Donald Trump has nominated Dr. Mehmet Oz to lead Medicare and Medicaid–the country’s massive health insurance programs for the elderly and lower-income adults and children. Oz was a heart surgeon but gained fame on television, where he also hawked unproven supplements. He could use the position to steer his favored companies millions of dollars in reimbursements from the federal government. Over 40% of all US births are covered by Medicaid.
Key line: “Rep. Frank Pallone Jr. (D-New Jersey), the top Democrat on the House Energy and Commerce Committee, which oversees CMS, called it a ‘workhorse agency’ that helps provide health care to low-income Americans, older Americans, children and other vulnerable populations. ‘I am alarmed that President-elect Trump has chosen a TV celebrity without the experience or background to lead it,’ Pallone said in a statement.”
Source: Washington Post // https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/2024/11/19/dr-oz-medicare-medicaid-obamacare-trump