Work sample is from Journalism 211.

Senate Confirms Mehmet Oz to Oversee CMS

On Thursday, Mehmet Oz, a Penn graduate, was confirmed by the US Senate to be the administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. 

The announcement on April 3 follows President and 1968 Wharton graduate Donald Trump’s November appointment of Oz, who has an MD from the Perelman School of Medicine and an MBA from Wharton in 1986, as the leader of the organization. Along party lines, Oz was approved 53-45, with two senators not voting. 

CMS oversees the administration of the federal Medicare, Medicaid, and Children’s Health Insurance programs on behalf of the Department of Health and Human Services. Oz will oversee a $1.5 trillion organization that offers health coverage to more than 160 million people nationwide in his role as CMS administrator. 

HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. initially promoted the slogan “Make America Healthy Again” during his confirmation hearing, and Oz embraced it.

“All great societies, all great societies, protect their most vulnerable, and I would argue we are a great people”, Oz said. “With that in mind, I commit to doing whatever I can, working tirelessly to ensure that CMS provides Americans with access to superb care, especially Americans who are most vulnerable, our young, our disabled, and our elderly.” 

Oz takes office in the middle of significant shifts at the agency.

A fact sheet issued by HHS states that CMS plans to reduce its workforce by around 300 employees. It is yet to face the massive cuts that have been announced for other HHS agencies, which are expected to reduce its staff by 20,000.

Significant Medicaid cuts and the enforcement of additional work requirements have been topics of discussion in Congress. Oz expressed support for job requirements at his hearing, but he would not say if he supports the reduction.

“It doesn’t have to be going to a job,” Oz said. “It could be getting an education. It should be showing that you want to contribute to society.” 

Oz has established himself as a well-known television personality. Oz became a professor at Columbia University and a cardiothoracic surgeon after graduating from Penn. He hosted “The Dr. Oz Show,” a syndicated talk show, from 2009 to 2022, during which he made unsupported medical claims.

Then-Lt. Gov. John Fetterman beat Oz, the Republican candidate for one of Pennsylvania’s Senate seats in 2022. Oz sided with Trump during his campaign and made several appearances at MAGA rallies.