National Nurses United (NNU), the largest U.S. union and professional organization of registered nurses, calls on the U.S. Senate to reject the confirmation of Dr. Mehmet Oz as director of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). 

CMS oversees health coverage for 68 million older adults enrolled in Medicare, and 79 million patients enrolled in Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP). Nurses know how critical this agency is to their patients, and they emphasize that who leads this agency is a matter of life or death. Dr. Oz is the wrong candidate and a threat to patient’s health and safety, say nurses, especially given his advocacy of privatizing the public services he would be charged with overseeing.

“Vulnerable children and families, pregnant patients, people with disabilities, and our nation’s seniors, who have worked hard and paid into the system all their lives, deserve high-quality care. They won’t get it with Dr. Oz directing CMS,” said Nancy Hagans, RN, president of NNU. “His ultimate goal in seeking this position is lining his own pockets at the expense of our patients’ lives.”

Nurses note that Oz has promoted eliminating the popular traditional Medicare program and instead forcing patients to rely on the private, for-profit insurers that run Medicare Advantage—plans that have been found to systematically deny patients care and payments that would have been covered under Medicare. The care denials, along with dubious billing practices, have driven record profits for the largest Medicare Advantage insurers, including UnitedHealth, an insurer in which Oz has previously reported owning more than $550,000 worth of stock. 

Oz, who has a track record of promoting unscientific, quack medicine (the American Medical Association called him “visibly out of step with his profession”) has also spread misinformation about Covid-19 vaccines and treatment. This includes promoting the malaria drug hydroxychloroquine as a treatment for Covid, although the medication has been proven ineffective against the virus and comes with significant risks. In a move nurses say reeks of self-dealing, Oz made these claims while owning stock in several companies that produce hydroxychloroquine. Oz also holds other investments in pharmaceutical companies, hospitals, and tech companies with business in the health care sector, which nurses say shows an astounding conflict of interest.

As head of CMS, Dr. Oz would also have influence over drug price negotiations, medication coverage decisions, the Affordable Care Act, and more—services that impact more than 160 million patients, almost half the U.S. population. Given his investments, he has no incentive to reduce prices for seniors and low-income patients, or to ensure patients are not denied care. Nurses demand a qualified candidate with a strong background in advancing science and public health to perform such a critical role for the U.S. public.

“Our patients are not for sale. The millions of people who rely on CMS services deserve a leader who cares about science and investing in public health, not about unproven, magical cures and lining his own pockets,” said Hagans.

National Nurses United is the largest U.S. union and professional organization of registered nurses, with 225,000 members nationwide.