On November 19, President-elect Donald Trump made a significant move by naming Dr. Mehmet Oz to lead the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Service (CMS). This large federal agency plays a crucial role in overseeing health insurance programs for elderly and poor Americans, as well as the Affordable Care Act's insurance exchanges. Dr. Oz, better known as the TV personality who dispenses medical advice, had an impressive background before entering the political arena in 2022.

From Heart Surgeon to Celebrity Doctor

Dr. Oz was born to Turkish immigrants in 1960 in Cleveland, Ohio. His father was completing a residency at Case Western Reserve University during that time. As a gifted student, Oz received his BA in Biology from Harvard University in 1982 and then graduated from the University of Pennsylvania with a dual degree in medicine and business in 1986. Michael Specter at The New Yorker noted that Oz "became a doctor in large measure because his father was one." After that, Oz went on to become a renowned cardiothoracic surgeon at Columbia University in New York City.When he participated in heart surgery for former New York Yankees manager Joe Torre's brother Frank in 1996, Oz "found that he loved being the public face of medical advancement," as Olivia Nuzzi at New York Magazine stated. In 2004, he made his first appearance on "Oprah." Hadley Freeman at The Guardian said, "With his good looks and requisite regular-guy patter, Oz was a natural addition" to the show as a regular.

His Television Stardom and Controversies

His frequent appearances on Oprah Winfrey's popular show made him a trusted voice in medicine. This led him to launch his own program, "The Dr. Oz Show." However, he drew significant criticism for advancing fringe medical theories into public discourse and hawking dubious products. Erin Brodwin at Business Insider said that Oz "publicly endorsed dozens of egregiously un-scientific 'quack' treatments," such as the idea that taking coffee bean extract can help people lose weight. Abby Phillip at The Washington Post stated that Oz "has done a lot to damage his credibility as a medical doctor over the years" with his questionable medical guidance.

Pivot to Politics

In 2018, Oz was appointed by President Trump to the President's Council on Sports, Fitness and Nutrition. He held this position until he was removed by President Biden in 2022. In 2021, on November 30, he announced his candidacy for the open Pennsylvania Senate seat. Oz received the coveted backing of former President Trump in Pennsylvania's Republican primary and then beat out Republican Dave McCormick by fewer than a thousand votes in the May 17, 2022 primary. His Democratic opponent in the general election, Lt. Gov. John Fetterman, suffered a stroke just before the primary and appeared diminished on the campaign trail.However, Oz was hurt by a number of unforced errors. The most damaging was a widely mocked campaign video showing him shopping for vegetables at a supermarket he mistakenly called "Wegner's." This played into Fetterman's critique of Oz as a carpetbagger who didn't know Pennsylvania at all. Kim Kelly at NBC News said that the video was "yet another example of the out-of-touch and often bizarre behavior that has defined the New Jersey multimillionaire's cringeworthy Senate run." Fetterman won by almost 5 points.Oz's nomination has been less controversial than some of Trump's other picks, drawing praise from moderate Republicans in the Senate, including Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine). Collins told Politico that it will be "helpful to have someone who has been a health care provider running that agency." However, Oz's investments in the healthcare and pharmaceutical industries call into question "whether he can be trusted to act on behalf of the American people," as Peter Lurie, president of the Center for Science in the Public Interest, said at NPR.It is not clear exactly how Oz's stewardship of CMS fits into Trump's healthcare plans. Chris Stanton at New York Magazine noted that Oz is "a prominent hype man for Medicare Advantage, the privately run alternative to government health insurance for senior citizens," and some critics fear his appointment may undercut the government's role in the Medicare system.