The confirmation hearing lasted three hours as the Senate Finance Committee questioned Mehmet Oz, the television personality known as “Dr. Oz,” on a wide range of pressing topics, including looming Medicaid cuts, the maternal health crisis, rural health, fraud, artificial intelligence, and preauthorization decisions.
The Senate Finance Committee held the first Senate hearing with Oz on Friday to serve as administrator of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). The Senate Finance Committee will be the body that votes on whether to bring his nomination before the full Senate. A date for the Senate Finance Committee vote has not been set.
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If confirmed, the heart surgeon, who became a celebrated daytime talk show host, would oversee Medicare, Medicaid, the Children’s Health Insurance Program, and the Affordable Care Act (ACA) health insurance marketplaces.
During his opening statement, Oz attempted to underscore his qualifications as administrator of CMS by reiterating his achievements throughout his decades-long career.
“All great societies protect their most vulnerable. And I would argue we are great people. 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,” said Oz.
“I share my story with you for a simple reason. To highlight that everything I have done in my life educationally and professionally has prepared me for this precise moment in time which I believe offers a monumental opportunity and a challenge for us at CMS. My TV audience has heard me say this many times, but many of you are too busy to watch television. So, I'll repeat it that I believe that a physician has a responsibility to tell patients what they need to know, even if the message is uncomfortable.”
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Ron Wyden (D–Ore.), who serves as the ranking member of the committee, promptly questioned Oz on his stance on any cuts to the Medicaid program. “Will you agree this morning, since you want to cherish Medicaid, to oppose any cuts to the Medicaid program?”
Oz avoided giving a direct answer, instead stating that he wants to ensure patients today and in the future have resources to protect them if they get ill. “The way you protect medicine is by making sure that it's viable at every level, which includes having enough practitioners to afford the services, paying them enough to do what you request of them, and making sure that patients are able to,” said Oz.
When asked by Maggie Hassan (D-N.H.) if directed by President Trump to take action that would break the law and whether he would follow the law or follow the president's directive, Oz replied, “The president would never do that.” To which Hassan replied, “That's absurd, and it's a disappointing answer.”
Hassan, too, pushed Oz on his stance with possible Medicaid cuts with a particular concern for the maternal health crisis, asking him if he will ensure that there are no cuts in the Republican budget plan that would deny coverage to pregnant moms and moms postpartum. Oz said he will need to be more knowledgeable about what is happening within CMS regarding that.
Hassan also questioned Oz on the controversy surrounding his promotion of fraudulently marketed supplement products on his television show, such as a green tea extract as a “miracle” weight loss drug. When pushed for an answer, Oz did confirm the product was fraudulently marketed.
Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) during her questioning of Oz brought up the belief by fellow Senators that people enrolled in Medicaid are “milking the system,” asking Oz if he was aware of how many Medicaid fraud units exist, to which he was unaware.
There are 53 units, she said, which recovered $1.4 billion in fraud in 2024. Most of which, she said, was found to be provider fraud. “I am all about addressing waste, abuse, and fraud. But let's be real here in how we do it,” she said.
Prior to concluding the hearing, Senate Finance Committee Chairman Mike Crapo (R-Idaho) indicated support for his nomination, telling Oz there is “no doubt” he is qualified to serve as the next administrator of CMS.