Dr. Oz for CMS Administrator?

Dr. Oz is a highly educated heart surgeon who has made controversial statements outside conventional medical orthodoxy. So how would Dr. Oz run an agency with a budget larger than many countries?

President-elect Trump has said he wants to go big, and so far, he has chosen several candidates who fit this category to fill his cabinet. He is known to favor Medicare Advantage plans (MA) created by the Medicare Modernization Act of 2003, which introduced " private-sector-like” plan options over traditional Medicare, including a drug benefit.

Dr. Oz has suggested that all Americans would benefit from enrollment in MA plans in a Medicare Advantage for All program, which would be paid by an employer 20% payroll tax. Isn’t this single-payer? Maintenance of effort taxes on employers, everyone enrolled in a healthcare plan subject to government oversight.

Creating this new program would require an act of Congress which is highly unlikely, but Dr. Oz has the opportunity to make significant course corrections to stabilize the program for seniors. 

We have experienced the greatest upheaval in the MA and PDP plans since the program’s inception. Plans are leaving service areas and slowing enrollments due to the current Administration’s policies and the impact of the Inflation Reduction Act passed by Congress. 

I think the pick of Dr. Oz’s selection isn’t the worst choice for a CMS Administrator. There is an excellent chance that the new Administration can and will address these issues.