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By Monica Sager and Anna Commander
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President-elect Donald Trump has named Dr. Mehmet Oz as his pick to head the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.
In a post on Truth Social, his social media platform, on Tuesday afternoon, Trump wrote, "Our broken Healthcare System harms everyday Americans, and crushes our Country's budget. 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 Healthcare in our Great Country."
As administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, Oz would work under the secretary of health and human services. Trump announced last week that Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is his nominee for that position.
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"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 continued in his post.
Newsweek has reached out via email to the Trump transition team and Oz's press team for additional comment.
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Oz is known for his presence on TV. He started as a health expert on The Oprah Winfrey Show for five seasons, and his own show, The Dr. Oz Show, debuted on September 14, 2009. It aired until January 14, 2022.
He was known to address subjects like transplants, Type 2 diabetes, supplements and anti-aging. Oz, who co-founded the Cardiac Complementary Care Center, had focused his medical career on alternative medicines for heart disease as well as heart transplants.
Oz has also faced controversies surrounding his medical career. During a 2014 Senate hearing on consumer protection, former Senator Claire McCaskill said that the "scientific community is almost monolithic against you" for his weight loss product advertisements.
In September 2016, Trump appeared on The Dr. Oz Show during his first presidential campaign. Oz was appointed to the President's Council on Sports, Fitness and Nutrition in 2018 during Trump's first administration.
During the COVID pandemic, Oz became an informal adviser to Trump. Oz promoted the use of hydroxychloroquine as a treatment for the disease. Trump said he took the drug in May 2020.
Trump notably backed Oz during his failed 2022 run for Pennsylvania senator against Democrat John Fetterman. Earlier this month, Oz took to X (formerly Twitter) to congratulate Trump for his landslide election win, saying in part, "The election presents a powerful mandate to solve problems that hurt us today and will cripple future generations."
He went on: "We suffer from record numbers of lifestyle-related chronic diseases that are largely avoidable and cost 90% of the nation's $4 trillion annual spend in health care. Disrupting the 'Illness Industrial Complex' will save us money and lives, with the promise of bountiful opportunity and longevity."
Update 11/19/24, 4:50 and 5:20 p.m. ET: This story has been updated with additional background and information.
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