Despite His Lack of Gov’t Experience, Analysts View Oz Pick as Positive for MA

  • Nov 21, 2024

    President-elect Donald Trump on Nov. 19 named author and cardiac surgeon Mehmet Oz, M.D., aka television personality Dr. Oz, as his choice for CMS administrator, overseeing both the Medicare and Medicaid programs. Industry observers suggest the nomination could be a win for Medicare Advantage, although future policy changes will largely depend on the staff behind him.

    “Dr. Oz does not have any government experience for us to draw from, but he did coauthor a pro-Medicare Advantage op-ed in Forbes in June 2020 that sheds some light into his views on health policy,” wrote Barclays analyst Andrew Mok on Nov. 19. That piece “supported expanding private Medicare to most citizens,” which translates to a “positive read-through” for publicly traded MA firms like Humana Inc., CVS Health Corp. and UnitedHealth Group.

    Read more
    © 2024 MMIT
  • Lauren Flynn Kelly

    Lauren has been covering health business issues since the early 2000s and specializes in in-depth reporting on Medicare Advantage, managed Medicaid and Medicare Part D. She also possesses a deep understanding of the complex world of pharmacy benefit management, having written AIS Health’s Radar on Drug Benefits from 2004 to 2005 and again from 2011 to 2016. In addition to her role as managing editor of Radar on Medicare Advantage, she oversees AIS Health’s publications and manages the health editorial staff. She graduated from Vassar College with a B.A. in English.

The Latest
Meet Our Reporters

Meet Our Reporters

×