WASHINGTON — Key Democratic senators are demanding solutions from Mehmet Oz on his “earlier advocacy for Medicare privatization,” referring to his call in 2020 for putting all seniors into non-public insurance policy beneath Medicare Advantage.
They’re in search of readability from the doctor and TV persona referred to as “Dr. Oz” in a letter Tuesday, led by Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., after President-elect Donald Trump picked him to run the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS).
“In the wake of that nomination, we write relating to our considerations about your advocacy for the elimination of Traditional Medicare and your deep monetary ties to personal well being insurers,” reads the letter, which was first obtained by NBC News.
The letter was co-signed by Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., who is ready to develop into the rating member of the Finance Committee, and 5 different Democrats in Congress.
The Finance Committee oversees the CMS nomination and its members, which embrace Warren, will get to query Oz. The letter serves as a preview of what Oz will face in the course of the affirmation course of, no less than from Democrats. Republicans will maintain a 53-47 seat majority and want 50 senators to substantiate a nomination, which means Democrats could not derail the decide with out persuading no less than 4 Republicans to vote towards him.
The Democrats referred to a 2020 opinion piece that Oz co-wrote calling for placing all Americans into Medicare Advantage, successfully changing the standard Medicare program during which the federal government immediately insures Americans 65 and older in tandem with non-public insurance policy.
“Indeed, non-public insurers that run the Medicare Advantage program drastically overcharge for care,” the senators wrote, citing evaluation from the nonpartisan Medicare Payment Advisory Committee.
In 2022, when Oz unsuccessfully ran for Senate in Pennsylvania, he supplied a extra modest platform that didn’t name for ending conventional Medicare, though he maintained his assist for enhancing Medicare Advantage. “We can develop Medicare Advantage plans,” he wrote in an AARP questionnaire, calling the plans “widespread amongst seniors” and arguing they “present high quality care” with the proper value incentives.
The lawmakers within the letter sounded skeptical.
“Your advocacy for eliminating the Traditional Medicare program and changing it with Medicare Advantage additionally raises questions on your individual monetary conflicts of curiosity,” the Democrats wrote within the letter. “In your monetary disclosures out of your 2022 Senate run, you reported proudly owning over $550,000 of stock in UnitedHealth, the most important non-public insurer in Medicare Advantage and largest employer of physicians within the nation.”
“The firm is at present beneath a sprawling antitrust investigation by the Department of Justice — together with for its function in aggressively upcoding Medicare Advantage enrollees to safe greater funds from CMS — and has been sued on a number of events for Medicare fraud. Under your plan, UnitedHealth’s income from Medicare Advantage would roughly double to $274 billion yearly.”
UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson was killed last week in a taking pictures that has captured the nation’s consideration.
The Democratic lawmakers requested Oz a collection of questions, together with whether or not he’ll “proceed to assist insurance policies that may eradicate Traditional Medicare” if confirmed to steer CMS and whether or not he’ll “decide to opposing any and all efforts to denationalise or reduce Medicare.”
They additionally requested if he’ll “commit to totally divesting of any and all monetary holdings associated to the insurance coverage business in case you are confirmed as Administrator.”
Trump’s transition group did not instantly return a request for remark.
