In November 2024, President Donald Trump chose Mehmet Oz, MD, as his nominee to lead CMS. Nomination hearings for the cardiology specialist began March 14, with Dr. Oz testifying before the Senate Finance Committee.
Meanwhile, the National Nurses Union, the largest union of registered nurses in the U.S., has issued a statement calling on the Senate to reject his confirmation, according to a March 14 news release sent to Becker’s.
CMS oversees health coverage for 68 million adults enrolled in Medicare, and the union has emphasized that it believes Dr. Oz is the wrong candidate for this role, calling him a “threat to patient’s health and safety … especially given his advocacy of privatizing the public services he would be charged with overseeing,” according to the release.
“Vulnerable children and families, pregnant patients, people with disabilities and our nation’s seniors, who have worked hard and paid into the system all their lives, deserve high-quality care. They won’t get it with Dr. Oz directing CMS,” said Nancy Hagans, RN, president of NNU. “His ultimate goal in seeking this position is lining his own pockets at the expense of our patients’ lives.”
Dr. Oz has faced scrutiny for his financial ties to the healthcare industry, as well as his desire to get rid of traditional Medicare programs.
“[Dr.] Oz, who has a track record of promoting unscientific, quack medicine (the American Medical Association called him ‘visibly out of step with his profession’) has also spread misinformation about COVID-19 vaccines and treatment,” the union wrote. “This includes promoting the malaria drug hydroxychloroquine as a treatment for COVID, although the medication has been proven ineffective against the virus and comes with significant risks,” said the union.
The union has previously been outspoken about other nominees of President Trump, including Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who was picked to lead HHS.
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