The elected president of the United States Donald Trump He chose the doctor on Tuesday Mehmet Ozformer television show host and cardiologist surgeon, to head the agency responsible for oversee health insurance programs for millions of poor, disabled and elderly Americans. The former president also named the Wall Street executive Howard Lutnick to take over the reins of the Department of Commerce.
“Dr. Oz will be a leader in encouraging disease prevention, so that we get the best global outcomes for every dollar we spend on health care in our great country,” Trump said in a statement. “It will also reduce waste and fraud within our country’s most expensive government agency, accounting for one-third of our nation’s health care spending and one-quarter of our entire national budget.”
Oz, who ran unsuccessfully to represent Pennsylvania in the federal Senate in 2022, has been a staunch supporter of Trump and has spoken out in recent days in favor of the nomination of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as head of the country’s main health agency, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS for its initials in English).
As administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, Oz would report to Kennedy. If confirmed by the Senate, Oz would be responsible for the Medicaid, Medicare and Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) programs, of which More than half of the country’s inhabitants depend on it to obtain health insurance.
Medicaid provides nearly free health coverage for millions of the poorest children and adults of the United States, while Medicare provides access to health insurance to elderly and disabled Americans. The PPACA is a program implemented under President Barack Obama that offers health insurance plans to millions of Americans who are not eligible for government-subsidized health insurance and do not have insurance through their employer.
“Americans need better research by impartial scientists on options for living a healthier lifestyle, and Robert F. Kennedy Jr. can help with this as Secretary of HHS,” Oz declared last week in a post on Instagram, in which he attached a photograph in which he appears next to Kennedy.
Meanwhile, in his role as Commerce Secretary, Lutnick will play a key role in implementing Trump’s plans to raise and apply tariffs, Trump said Tuesday. Lutnick is a cryptocurrency enthusiast and director of the Cantor Fitzgerald investment bank.
Trump made the announcement on his social media platform Truth Social. In the post, the virtual president-elect said that Lutnick “will lead our tariff and trade agenda, with additional direct responsibility for the Office of the United States Trade Representative.”
(With information from AP)
