Donald Trump announced Tuesday that he was appointing Mehmet Oz, a former surgeon and TV celebrity known as “Dr. Oz,” to lead the United States’ massive public health insurance program. The 64-year-old heart surgeon was championed on daytime television by Oprah Winfrey before he entered politics with an unsuccessful bid for a Senate seat in 2022.Oz is the latest of Trump’s eye-catching nominations to key positions, including Fox News host Pete Hegseth to be defense secretary, vaccine skeptic Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as health secretary and billionaire Elon Musk to head a government cost-cutting unit.”America is facing a Healthcare Crisis and there may be no Physician more qualified and capable than Dr. Oz to Make America Healthy Again,” the president-elect posted on his Truth Social platform. The appointment puts a man whose health recommendations — especially on Covid and weight loss — have often been ridiculed by the medical community at the helm of the United States’ Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS).As CMS administrator, Oz will be in charge of a federal agency that provides health coverage to more than 160 million Americans — almost half the country’s population.It employs about 6,700 people, had outlays of $1.48 trillion last year and is one the largest purchasers of healthcare services in the world.A son of Turkish immigrants, Oz has never held public office before, but has been a steadfast ally of Trump, who backed him in his unsuccessful Senate run in Pennsylvania.
Tue, 19 Nov 2024 22:39:53 GMT
