The Senate has confirmed Mehmet Oz as administrator for the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), making him the head of Medicaid at a time where its funding is at risk of being severely cut.
The Senate voted 53-45 along party lines to confirm Oz.
The heart-surgeon-turned-celebrity-physician faced intense questioning by Democrats in the Senate Finance Committee. Oz often dodged providing specific answers, providing generalities.
The former Pennsylvania GOP Senate candidate notably did not say whether he supported potential GOP cuts to Medicaid.
CMS provides coverage for 68 million people on Medicare and 79 million people on Medicaid. Much of what Oz said aligned with the “Make America Healthy Again” agenda led by Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
“Let’s be aggressive in modernizing our tools to reduce fraud, waste and abuse. This will stop unscrupulous people from stealing from vulnerable Americans and extend the life of the Medicare trust fund,” Oz said in his Senate hearing.
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