At the meeting, Oz spoke widely about his family history, the origins of his name, and his educational background at Harvard and the University of Pennsylvania (including his soccer career) before talking about CMS.
Oz told CMS employees that caring for yourself is a “patriotic duty” as it helps reduce health care costs by citing the costs of running Medicare and Medicaid nationwide. (During a Senate confirmation hearing against CMS administrators, OZ argued that “being healthy is our patriotic obligation,” linking individual movements to reduced costs for Medicare and Medicaid.)
During the meeting, Oz spoke at length about obesity in the US and the costs of CMS. He said dealing with obesity is one of his top priorities. (The Biden administration had suggested that Medicare and Medicaid, initiatives the Trump administration has refused to expand, would cover the costs of weight loss drugs. OZ repeatedly elicited criticism in the Dr. Oz show to promote a “miracle” weight loss treatment.)
“I don't know if he knows what we're doing here,” said a CMS employee who heard the phone. “He was talking about nutrition and exercise. That's not what Medicare does. We are caring for people in nursing homes. We deal with people who are dying.”
When asked how Oz prefers to be explained about complex policy issues, I will find myself not intentionally but intentionally naive about many issues. Sources tell Wired that this seemed like a roundabout to say Oz was focusing on facts rather than personal or political motivations. Oz also argued that the CMS needs to do a better job dealing with “fraud and waste,” which claimed two targets of Elion Musk and his so-called government efficiency.
Oz has once again approved Maha: Make America Healthy. This is a priority for HHS, originally the basis of RFK Jr.'s 2024 presidential campaign. At the CMS meeting, Oz said Maha was all about “curiosity.” (Kennedy, who defended Maha, repeatedly promoted anti-vaccine opinions, doctors and activists.)
“Reinforcements are coming to the agency,” Oz said. Or even those who hadn't wanted to work at CMS before.
The idea of bringing new people to CMS has been upset by those who attended the meeting, with hundreds of employees recently being fired as part of a major cut (RIF) at HHS. “It was frankly humiliated by the CMS staff,” the source says. “There are incredible people here.”
Updated 4/8/24 6:20 PM ET ET: This story has been updated to include a statement from a CMS spokesman.
