Dr. Mehmet Oz, the doctor of the celebrities of the TV, should face a confirmation of confirmation of Friday, with the democratic senators who plan to question how supervision would medicate and Medicaid now that the Republicans and the Trump administration are weighing significant changes that affect millions of Americans.
Among the possible plans considered by Republican legislators and President Trump there are serious reductions in health insurance coverage for low -income people and a greater movement to private plans for American elderly people.
Dr. Oz, 64 years old, a cardioatoracic surgeon who became famous during his successful day show, seems ready to guarantee confirmation of the complete Senate.
His confirmation hearing is among the latest nominated Trump whose agencies are part of the jurisdiction of Robert F. Kennedy Jr., secretary of the nation health. The decision of Mr. Trump immediately follows Thursday to withdraw the appointment of Dr. Dave Weldon to direct the centers for the control and prevention of diseases. Dr. Weldon’s longtime opinions against some vaccines have weakened his confirmation possibilities.
Since the older Americans are recommended to receive some vaccines because they are among the most vulnerable for diseases such as Covid, influence and pneumonia, it is possible that even the positions of Dr. Oz on immunization are of interest in the Senate’s panel that reviews its qualifications.
In addition, some members of the Senate Financial Committee will probably grill Dr. Oz on his myriads of financial ties, many of whom would constitute problems of worrying interest if he should guide the agency.
He has earned tens of millions of dollars who launch dietary supplements and other products on television and social media, and many of the companies he has connections could benefit from his confirmation.
In an attempt to mitigate some of his conflicts, in February he announced that, if confirmed, he would have sold his interest for over 70 companies and investment funds, including Unitedhealth Group, HCA Healthcare and Amazon, who now has important health companies. Its commercial and family activities are evaluated in the district of about 90 million dollars to $ 335 million, according to a recent regulatory deposit.
The Senate Democrats should have a house on the vocal support of Dr. Oz to the controversial private insurance plans for American elderly people known as medicating Advantage. Insureers who manage these plans have undergone intense criticism, accused of overloading the government and having denied patients the necessary treatments. Dr. Oz also had close ties with the companies selling the plans, many of which have also been accused of excessively aggressive marketing tactics.
As administrator of the centers for Medicare and Medicaid services, Dr. Oz would determine what the Agency would monitor the industry to medicate Advantage. He could also encourage people to enroll in private plans instead of the traditional program managed by the government. Medicare now covers about 68 million people, with just over half that now receives insurance through the plans to medicate Advantage. Almost seven million of those on medicating are under 65 years old.
It is not known little about the opinions of Dr. Oz on Medicaid, the vast state federal program that provides coverage to 72 million Americans with low income and disabled, some of which are also on medicating. The Republicans at the congress are observing the program to potentially find up to $ 880 billion of cuts, which could entail that many people are suitable for health coverage and influence how much individual states must contribute.
The Democrats of the Senate also want answers on his recent tax returns on income, focusing on the fact that he paid the amount requested for medicating taxes, according to a note from the staff of the Committee revised by the New York Times.
“The government’s ethics office led a vast revision of the finances of Dr. Oz as part of the normal control process,” said Christopher Krepich, his spokesperson.
The ethical office informed the Senate that “any potential conflicts have been resolved and complies with the law”, added Krepich.
But the senator Elizabeth Warren, the Democratic of Massachusetts, sent a 28 -page letter to Dr. Oz on Thursday, clearly asking to provide answers on his positions and potential conflicts.
“The agency deserves a leader who is willing to put the interests of patients, suppliers and taxpayers first – not an individual who tries to privatize those programs and has spent much of his career through profit by entities that are squeezing every last health dollar outside the patients and taxpayers,” he said.