Trump Nominates TV Star ‘Dr. Oz’ as CMS Administrator

WASHINGTON—President-elect Donald Trump announced his nomination of Mehmet Oz, physician, surgeon, former television host and founder of the nonprofit health education company HealthCorps, as administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). 

“I am honored to be nominated by Donald Trump to lead CMS,” Oz said. “I look forward to serving my country to make America healthy again under the leadership of (Department of Health and Human Services) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.”

According to the CMS website, the administrator role seeks to direct the planning, coordination and implementation of the programs under Titles XI, XVIII, XIX and XXI of the Social Security Act and related statutes. Additionally, the CMS administrator aims to manage the establishment of program goals and the development of policies, standards and guidelines.

On nominating Oz for the position, President-elect Trump made the following statement. 

“America is facing a health care crisis, and there may be no physician more qualified and capable than Dr. Oz to make America healthy again,” Trump said. “He is an eminent physician, heart surgeon, inventor and world-class communicator, who has been at the forefront of healthy living for decades. Dr. Oz will work closely with Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to take on the illness industrial complex and all the horrible chronic diseases left in its wake. 

“Dr. Oz will be a leader in incentivizing disease prevention. … He will also cut waste and fraud within our country’s most expensive government agency, which is a third of our nation’s health care spend and a quarter of our entire national budget. … I have known Dr. Oz for many years, and I am confident he will fight to ensure everyone in America receives the best possible health care.”