President-elect Donald Trump revealed on Tuesday that Dr. Mehmet Oz, a renowned heart surgeon and celebrity television host, has been chosen to head the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. This agency, part of the Department of Health and Human Services, is responsible for Medicare, the federal share of the Medicaid program, the Children’s Health Insurance Program, and the federal health insurance marketplace. Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is Trump’s choice for the Health and Human Services Secretary. Both appointments are pending Senate approval.

Trump expressed his belief that the U.S. is grappling with a healthcare crisis, and Dr. Oz could be the most competent physician to address it. Trump stated, “Dr. Oz is a distinguished physician, heart surgeon, creator, and exceptional communicator, who has been advocating for healthier living for many years.”

According to Trump, if confirmed, Oz will join forces with Kennedy to combat the healthcare industrial complex and the devastating chronic diseases it has created. He also suggested potential cuts to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, emphasizing that Oz would “reduce waste and fraud within our most costly government agency, accounting for a third of our nation’s healthcare expenditure and a quarter of our total national budget.”

Over 100 million Americans are enrolled in the significant programs supervised by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services – Medicare, Medicaid, and the Children’s Health Insurance Program.

Dr. Oz, who was endorsed by Trump, lost the 2022 Pennsylvania Senate race to Democratic Senator John Fetterman. His Senate campaign came years after he faced Congress’s criticism for promoting unverified “miracle” weight-loss supplements on his show. In a Senate committee hearing in June 2014, lawmakers accused Oz of misleading consumers about a green coffee bean extract he endorsed on his popular daytime television show.

Oz gained popularity through his appearances on the Oprah Winfrey Show, and his own daily show aired from 2009 to 2022, when he initiated his Senate campaign.