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John,
A peddler of dubious weight-loss supplements, a promoter of the drug hydroxychloroquine to treat COVID, and an inconsistent record on vaccinations. These are all descriptors of Dr. Mehmet Oz, Donald Trump’s pick to lead the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services at a time when these programs face serious threats and millions are struggling with high health costs.1
Prior to running for U.S. Senate in 2022, Dr. Oz pushed a plan that would take everyone in Medicare who is not also on Medicaid and put them into a Medicare Advantage plan, which would completely privatize Medicare―handing the health care of millions of retirees over to greedy insurance companies.2
Project 2025 calls for making Medicare Advantage the default enrollment option for older Americans, which would push the U.S. towards a fully privatized Medicare system. This would give away billions of tax dollars to corporations whose M.O. is to profit by denying care, while giving seniors limited options when it comes to choosing providers.3 You know who benefits from making privatized Medicare Advantage the default option for Medicare? Dr. Oz.
From New York Magazine:4
“During his failed bid for a Pennsylvania Senate seat in 2022, the former heart surgeon turned TV host touted his vision of ‘Medicare Advantage for All,’ inviting scrutiny into his financial disclosures, which showed that he owned $600,000 worth of stock in two of the largest Medicare Advantage providers (UnitedHealth Group and CVS/Aetna), not to mention about $8 million in other investments across the health-care sector.”
The financial investments that Dr. Oz has in the health care industry must be scrutinized. Financial disclosures from his 2022 Senate run show that Oz and his wife owned shares in Johnson & Johnson, Thermo Fisher Scientific (supplier of hydroxychloroquine), and Prelude—a network of fertility clinics.
Dr. Oz was an early investor in MitraClip, a device that was touted as an alternative to open-heart surgery. After it was acquired by Abbott Laboratories in 2009 and approved in 2013, the device was recalled three times and the Food and Drug Administration received more than 17,000 reports about malfunctions and it was potentially linked to 1,100 deaths.5
In the case of United States of America, et al.; vs. Abbott Laboratories, et al., Defendants, a former Abbott employee alleges that Abbott promoted the device to doctors and hospitals in exchange for “patient referrals, patient practice building, free patient marketing service, honoraria for sham speaker programs, rewards in the form of clinical trial opportunities, marketing events and consulting services, free lavish meals, and cocktail parties.” The employee alleges that it was part of a larger scheme that defrauded health insurance programs, including Medicare and Medicaid.6
Financial disclosures from his Senate run show that Dr. Oz received hundreds of thousands of dollars in MitraClip royalties from Abbott Laboratories.7
This nomination comes at a time that millions could lose health coverage as policymakers consider proposals that would force deep cuts to health programs.8 The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid determine which health care devices are covered under Medicare.9 Due to his vast investments in the health care sector, it’s clear that Dr. Oz would have multiple conflicts of interests as head of CMS.
A 2022 survey found 4 in 10 Medicare enrollees reported problems accessing care because of costs—Medicare Advantage enrollees of all incomes have the hardest time.10 The study also found that, regardless of their Medicare plan, older adults reported skipping follow-up appointments and skipping prescription refills due to inability to pay.
Anthony Wright, Executive Director of Families USA, a CHN coalition partner, said:
“The financial ties need to be investigated fully. We want to make sure that when those negotiations on drug prices happen, that pharma is not on both sides of the negotiating table.”
Nominating someone with Dr. Oz’s background and conflicts of interests to lead the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, which would give him control over a more than $1 trillion budget and influence over drug price negotiation and medication coverage decisions, would put the most vulnerable in our society at great risk.
Join us in calling on the Senate to reject the nomination of Dr. Oz as the head of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid and speak out about protecting these important programs.
Thank you for all you do,
Deborah Weinstein
Executive Director, CHN Action
1 Dr. Oz, Tapped to Run Medicare, Has a Record of Promoting Health Misinformation
2 Mehmet Oz once proposed massive changes to Medicare. Now he could run it.
3 Project 2025’s Medicare Changes Would Restrict Older Americans’ Access to Care and Imperil the Program’s Financial Health
4 Dr. Oz Shilled for an Alternative to Medicare: Trump’s pick to oversee the program is a hype man for private-sector competition.
5 From Dr. Oz to Heart Valves: A Tiny Device Charted a Contentious Path Through the FDA
6 United States v. Abbott Labs.
7 Oz-Financial-Disclosure-Royalties
8 Medicaid May Face Big Cuts and Work Requirements
9 Medicare Coverage of Items and Services
10 Medicare’s Affordability Problem: A Look at the Cost Burdens Faced by Older Enrollees
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