Trump names Dr. Oz to head CMS

Mehmet Oz, MD, MBA
_{© doctoroz.com}

President-elect Donald Trump will name Mehmet Oz, MD, MBA, to lead the U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, according to news reports.

Known as the Emmy award-winning Dr. Oz for his television hosting work, Oz was tapped to run as Republican candidate for the U.S. Senate, representing Pennsylvania. Currently he is professor emeritus at Columbia University, and he led the heart institute at New York Presbyterian Medical Center, according to his website.

The president-elect said “there may be no physician more qualified and capable than Dr. Oz to Make America Healthy Again.”

“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,” Trump said in statement. He referred to his nominee to lead the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Oz is an eminent physician, heart surgeon, inventor and world-class communicator who has been at the forefront of healthy living for decades, Trump said in his official statement.

“Our broken health care system harms everyday Americans, and crushes our country's budget,” the president-elect’s statement said. “Dr. Oz will be a leader in incentivizing disease prevention, so we get the best results in the world for every dollar we spend on health care in our great country. 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, so our country can be great and healthy again!” the president-elect’s statement said.

Trump also referred to Oz’ nine Daytime Emmy awards for “The Dr. Oz Show.” Oz taught millions of American how to make healthier lifestyle choices and gave a strong voice to key pillars of the Make America Healthy Again movement. Oz and his wife, Lisa, also started the nonprofit HealthCorps to help improve the lives of underserved teen-agers.