What to know about CMS and how Dr. Oz could lead it
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Dr. Oz on Sept. 24 in New York City. Photo: Leigh Vogel/Getty Images for Concordia Summit
Doctor and TV personality Mehmet Oz, or Dr. Oz, is President-elect Trump's pick to lead the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), the agency that oversees health care for 160 million Americans.
Why it matters: Oz, who unsuccessfully ran for Senate in 2022 against Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.), does not have experience running a large government bureaucracy like the CMS.
- Trump endorsed Oz's Senate run and was a heavy staple in his primary campaign, showing up frequently in his ads.
- The former heart surgeon and Columbia University professor who hosted his own long-running talk show has drawn criticism from fellow medical professionals for promoting treatments with no documented efficacy.
What is the CMS?
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services is a federal agency within the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) that administers Medicare, Medicaid, the Children's Health Insurance Program and the Health Insurance Marketplace.
- The agency is also tasked with actively inspecting and reporting on all nursing homes in the country, ensuring quality standards for clinical laboratories, and enforcing HIPAA and oversight of HealthCare.gov.
It seeks to provide access to quality health care and to improve health at lower costs.
- "CMS works in partnership with the entire health care community to improve quality, equity and outcomes in the health care system," per its website.
Who falls fall under CMS?
CMS employs more than 6,000 people, and the head of the agency is the administrator — a position appointed by the president and confirmed by the Senate.
- Chiquita Brooks-LaSure has been the administrator since 2021 and is the first Black woman in the role.
The agency oversees several departments, including the Center for Clinical Standards & Quality, Center for Consumer Information & Insurance Oversight, Center for Medicare & Medicaid Innovation, Center for Medicare and Center for Medicaid and CHIP Services.
What could Oz's appointment mean for Americans?
Oz's nomination comes after Trump picked Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as Department of Health and Human Services Secretary, which will all but certainly set the tone for other health agencies.
- Kennedy would be Oz's boss if both are confirmed by the Senate.
State of play: Kennedy's views on Medicare or other payment policies are pretty unclear, unlike his public health views. That means the CMS administrator could have wide latitude within the role — including to enact policy more in line with GOP orthodoxy.
- For example, Oz would be in a position to grant waiver requests from conservative-led states intent on reshaping Medicaid, including imposing work requirements on recipients, which is something the first Trump administration tried to do.
In his announcement Tuesday, Trump said Oz would "cut waste and fraud within our Country's most expensive Government Agency," in a signal that cuts might be coming to entitlement spending.
- He also said Oz would "be a leader in incentivizing Disease Prevention."
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