Mehmet Oz, a celebrity heart surgeon turned talk show host and lifestyle guru, is President-elect Donald Trump’s nominee to lead the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, the huge federal health care bureaucracy that covers more than a third of Americans .
Here’s a look at a TV doctor-turned-politician who is now destined to lead an agency that touches nearly every American in some way.
Who is Dr. Oz?
A trained heart surgeon, Oz rose to fame on Oprah Winfrey’s leading daytime television show before launching his own series, The Dr. Oz Show” came out.
The show aired for 13 seasons and made Oz a household name.
According to the state’s online database, Oz stopped performing surgeries in 2018, but his medical license remains dynamic in Pennsylvania through the end of this year.
Oz is a New York Times bestselling author, Emmy Award-winning TV show host, radio talk show host, presidential candidate, founder of a national nonprofit organization educating teenagers about robust habits, and self-proclaimed wellness ambassador.
He was also a guest host on the show “Jeopardy!” game show and helped save a dying man at Newark Liberty International Airport.
Oz was born in Cleveland, Ohio, the son of a heart surgeon who emigrated from Turkey.
As a college student, he attended a private high school in Delaware and Harvard University, where he also played soccer and served in the Turkish army to retain his dual citizenship.
He made a name for himself as a surgeon but made a fortune as a salesman
Oz gave diet and lifestyle advice on his show, presenting himself as a trustworthy doctor able to explain health topics in an engaging and accessible way. But his show also blurred the line between medical advice and advertising and didn’t make clear to his audience how closely he worked with the companies he pitched.
He repeatedly promoted products of questionable medical value and was named in lawsuits alleging he made misleading claims on the show. Several of the companies he promotes are structured as multi-level marketing companies whose practices have repeatedly drawn the attention of federal regulators.
Oz had a net worth between $100 million and $315 million, according to a federal financial disclosure he filed in 2022, which lists dollar amounts in specific ranges but no specific numbers.
He ran for the U.S. Senate
Oz ran as a Republican for the U.S. Senate in 2022, one of the most prominent races in this year’s midterm elections. Although he was a long-time resident of New Jersey and worked in New York City, Oz ran in Pennsylvania, citing ties to the state through his wife’s parents.
His campaign relied heavily on his celebrity. His logo looked exactly like his TV show’s logo. His themes – “a dose of reality” or “The doctor is in” – reflected his reputation as a television doctor.
He entered a crowded Republican primary and won much-anticipated support from Trump.
“Women in particular are drawn to Dr. for his advice and guidance. Oz drawn. I’ve seen this many times over the years. They know him, believe in him and trust him,” Trump said as he endorsed Oz.
After a court battle that went all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court, Oz narrowly won the primary by 951 votes against McCormick, but lost in the general election to Democrat John Fetterman.
Oz and Trump have a long personal history
Oz told The Associated Press in an interview in 2022 that he first met Trump in 2004 or 2005, when he asked Trump to employ his golf course for an event for the Oz Children’s Charity. Trump agreed. They then saw each other intermittently at social events before Oz interviewed Trump about his health during the 2016 presidential campaign.
During an appearance on “Dr. Oz Show” in 2016, Trump said his wife Melania Trump was “a big fan” of the show.
During his first term, Trump appointed Oz to the President’s Council on Sports, Fitness and Nutrition.
He would run a huge agency
If confirmed by the Senate to lead CMS, Oz would oversee Medicare, Medicaid, children’s health insurance and the Affordable Care Act, better known as Obamacare. The programs cover more than 160 million people, from newborns to nursing home residents.
CMS also plays a central role in the nation’s $4.5 trillion health care economy, setting Medicare payment rates for hospitals, doctors, laboratories and other providers. The amount of state payments becomes the basis for private insurers. The agency also sets standards that govern how health care providers operate.
The agency has more than 6,000 employees and a budget of $1.1 trillion.
