Dr. Oz, Trump’s Medicare Nominee, Stated Uninsured Americans Have No ‘Right to Health’
By Jake Beardslee ·
January 1, 2025
President-elect Donald Trump's nominee to lead the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, Dr. Mehmet Oz, faces scrutiny over past controversial statements about healthcare access. During a 2013 address to the National Governor's Association, Oz, the well-known television personality, made remarks suggesting limitations on healthcare rights. Office of United States Senator Claire McCaskill / Gage Skidmore / Wikimedia
"Because they don't have the right to health, but they have the right to access a chance to get that health," Oz stated during his address, referring to uninsured Americans. He advocated for providing healthcare screenings in a "festival-like setting" where uninsured individuals could have "a way of crawling back out of the abyss of darkness, of fear, over not having the health they need." SAMHSA from Rockville / Wikimedia
If confirmed, Oz would oversee an agency serving over 160 million Americans through Medicare and Medicaid programs. His nomination comes with baggage, including a history of promoting unproven medical treatments, such as hydroxychloroquine for COVID-19, which the World Health Organization has deemed ineffective and potentially harmful. Pixabay
In his recent nomination announcement, Trump emphasized Oz's potential role in healthcare reform, stating, "Our broken Healthcare System harms everyday Americans, and crushes our Country's budget. Dr Oz will be a leader in incentivizing Disease Prevention, so we get the best results in the World for every dollar we spend on Healthcare in our Great Country." Gage Skidmore / Wikimedia
