Despite criticism from Democratic Senators that Dr. Mehmet Oz will not protect the Medicaid program from looming cuts, the Senate Finance Committee on Tuesday voted to advance his nomination to serve as the administrator of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS).
The committee voted 14-13 across party lines to send his nomination to the Senate. All Republicans voted in favor of advancing the nomination and all Democrats voted against it.
RELATED: Senate Finance Committee grills Dr. Oz in confirmation hearing to lead CMS
The former heart surgeon and television personality faced tough questioning early this month during the Senate Finance Committee confirmation hearing. He was asked about potential cuts to Medicaid, the maternal health crisis, rural health, fraud, artificial intelligence, and preauthorization. And Democratic Senators weren’t pleased with his responses to the future of Medicaid.
Prior to the vote on Tuesday afternoon, Senators Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), ranking member of the committee, Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), Maggie Hassan (D-N.H.), Senator Rev. Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.), Tina Smith (D-Minn.), Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M), and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) said they would oppose his nomination in large part because of his failure to reassure them he would protect Medicaid from $880 billion in potential spending cuts.
“During his confirmation hearing, Dr. Oz was given the chance to assure the American people that he would not be a rubber stamp for Republicans’ plans to gut Medicaid and hike ACA premiums. At every turn, he failed the test. When I asked him a yes or no question about whether he would protect Medicaid, he dodged and weaved and refused to answer,” Wyden said during his opening remarks.
Smith said the there is a concerted effort by the Trump administration to use Medicaid as “an ATM” to pay for tax breaks to benefit the most successful corporations and wealthiest individuals in the country. She said she can’t support someone who would be an enthusiastic participant to make Medicaid harder to get and more expensive.
But two Republican Senators spoke in support of Dr. Oz. Sen. Roger Marshall, M.D. (R-Kan.) said he and his fellow Republicans want to save and strengthen Medicaid. “We want to make sure Medicaid dollars are spent on the most vulnerable of people,” he said.
And Sen. Finance Committee Chairman Mike Crapo (R-Idaho) said that Dr. Oz has years of experience and an acclaimed physician and public health advocate. He’s uniquely qualified to manage the intricacies of CMS, Crapo said.
“At his hearing, Dr. Oz discussed his vision to ensure CMS provides Americans with access to superb care, especially our most vulnerable patients. I look forward to working with him, if confirmed, to accomplish this goal,” he said, adding later, “There is no doubt that Dr. Oz will work tirelessly to deliver much needed change at CMS.”