Bastian Slabbirds (via ZUMA Press)
7 Democratic senators President Donald Trump's pick to run the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, Dr. Mehmet Oz, is demanding answers over his longtime support for private Medicare plans and his financial ties to those programs.
In a letter first obtained by NBC News, Democrats reference an op-ed Oz published in 2020 that called for moving all Americans onto Medicare Advantage, the private coverage option favored by President Trump and the authors of Project 2025. , effectively calling on the US to abolish the insurance system. Traditional Medicare.
As Quartz reported last month, Mr. Oz revealed he owns $600,000 in stock in companies that benefit from private Medicare services. The TV personality, who has long been heavily criticized in the medical community for promoting unsubstantiated treatments, has invested millions of dollars in businesses that the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services is responsible for regulating. It is also reported that there are.
“Your advocacy to eliminate the traditional Medicare program and replace it with Medicare Advantage also raises questions about your own financial conflicts of interest,” the letter from Democratic lawmakers said.
The letter comes after the progressive watchdog group Public Citizen sent a letter to the Federal Trade Commission alleging that Oz violated the organization's influencer marketing ethics when promoting herbal supplements on its social media accounts. It was published a week after the letter was sent. Three days after the letter was released, Oz vowed to stop promoting wellness products if confirmed, according to ABC News.
