STAT+: Senate confirms Oz as head of agency that runs Medicare, Medicaid
The Senate Thursday confirmed Mehmet Oz to run the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, an agency within HHS.
WASHINGTON — In a party-line vote of 53-45, the Senate on Thursday confirmed Mehmet Oz to lead the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.
Oz’s confirmation was expected; he is not as controversial as Health and Human Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. or some other Trump picks to run health agencies within the HHS.
However, Democrats did not vote for him because they said they cannot trust him to defend against cuts to Medicaid, which Republicans are expected to use to help pay for tax cuts. House Republicans directed the committee that oversees Medicaid to cut government spending by $880 billion, much of which would likely come from Medicaid. However, it’s less clear where Senate Republicans stand on such cuts.
