Mehmet Oz
Administrator for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
Dr. Mehmet Oz, despite holding a medical license, has long promoted pseudoscientific and potentially harmful health advice—including fad diets, homeopathy, and discredited COVID-19 treatments like hydroxychloroquine. His popularity, fueled in part by Oprah Winfrey, has helped normalize health misinformation. Critics warn that he could bring pseudoscience into national policymaking. His candidacy highlights the dangers of unregulated celebrity health influence and the real-world impact of misinformation.
Dr. Oz made several quacky medical claims on his show.
Vaccines Cause Autism
On January 4, 2010, Dr. Oz endorsed delaying childhood vaccines—a stance commonly associated with anti-vaccine misinformation—claiming concerns about overwhelming children's immune systems and revealing his own children weren't vaccinated against H1N1. He also echoed discredited claims linking the MMR vaccine to autism, based on Andrew Wakefield’s fraudulent study. However, by 2019, Oz reversed his position, publicly endorsing the MMR vaccine and urging viewers to vaccinate themselves and their children.
Apple Juice Contains Aresenic
In a 2011 episode, Dr. Oz claimed that apple juice contained dangerous levels of arsenic, based on tests from a New Jersey lab. The FDA disputed his claim, finding no public health risk and criticizing Oz for not distinguishing between organic (generally harmless) and inorganic (potentially harmful) arsenic. Oz's show defended the segment, stating the public deserved transparency about food contents. Months later, a Consumer Reports study did find some apple juice samples with high levels of inorganic arsenic, partially validating Oz’s concern, though his initial reporting was considered misleading.
Green Coffee Extract for Weight Loss
In 2014, Dr. Oz appeared before the U.S. Senate to address internet scammers misusing his name to sell weight loss products—but instead faced criticism for promoting unproven supplements himself. Senators, especially Sen. Claire McCaskill, pointed to Oz’s exaggerated endorsements, such as calling green coffee bean extract a “miracle” weight loss pill. Oz defended his show, claiming he personally believed in the products, even if they lacked solid scientific backing. Later that year, the FTC fined a company $3.5 million for making false claims about the extract, and the supporting study was retracted for unreliable data. Oz’s website and YouTube channel soon removed references to the product.
Colloidal Silver
Dr. Mehmet Oz, while running for U.S. Senate in Pennsylvania, has a history of promoting colloidal silver on The Dr. Oz Show, calling it a “smart” remedy with supposed scientific backing and saying his family uses it daily. Despite Oz's endorsements, medical experts, including the FDA, NIH, and Mayo Clinic, have warned that colloidal silver is unsafe, ineffective, and can cause serious health problems. Oz featured the supplement in multiple show segments, even praising it alongside Gwyneth Paltrow. These promotions contributed to increased public interest and were used by sellers of the product to legitimize and market their merchandise—despite its links to misinformation, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Dr. Oz featured a segment on his show on conversion therapy.
In a 2012 episode, Dr. Oz featured a segment on conversion therapy—referred to as "reparative therapy"—a practice widely rejected by mainstream mental health organizations. The show gave initial, largely unchallenged airtime to proponents of the therapy, including a representative from NARTH (a group promoting conversion therapy), without providing Dr. Oz's own stance, prompting backlash from LGBTQ+ advocacy groups like GLAAD, GLSEN, and PFLAG. They condemned the episode for presenting the practice as a legitimate debate. In response, Oz stated in a blog post that he agreed with medical consensus against conversion therapy, found no strong evidence supporting its effectiveness, and highlighted the risks and harms associated with it.
What to expect for Medicaid and Medicare
Medicaid’s Role in American Healthcare
Medicaid serves as a cornerstone of the American health care system, providing essential services to approximately 72 million individuals. It plays a particularly critical role in supporting older women, individuals with disabilities, and communities of color. In addition to promoting healthy pregnancies, child wellness, and care for low-income families and seniors, Medicaid also sustains millions of health care jobs, especially in rural and underserved areas.
Proposed Republican Policies
The proposed Republican policies and the Trump administration’s plans to reduce Medicaid funding through work requirements, block grants, and per capita caps could have dire consequences. An $880 billion reduction over the next decade could result in 4.8 million fewer seniors receiving care.
A study by the Center for American Progress (CAP) suggests that rolling back the federal government’s share of Medicaid expansion could lead to tens of thousands of additional deaths. The analysis, shared with The Hill, estimates that reducing the federal match rate for Medicaid expansion could result in about 34,200 additional deaths annually if states cut their expansions. Twelve states have laws in place that would automatically end or alter expansions if the federal contribution decreases. The study draws on a 2017 analysis by health economist Benjamin Sommers, which found that one life is saved for every 239 to 316 adults who gain insurance through Medicaid expansion. Currently, states that implemented Medicaid expansion receive a 90% federal match rate for expanded coverage.