Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

Is Trump's Appointment of 'America’s Doctor' a Good Choice to Head the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid?
American Thinker ^ | 12/10/2024 | Janet Levy

Posted on 12/10/2024 8:29:06 AM PST by SeekAndFind

Mountebanks peddling miracle cures in the Old West would often pretend to be qualified doctors.

It is rare to come across mountebanks now, rarer still for qualified doctors to peddle miracle cures. But Dr. Mehmet Oz – a former cardiothoracic surgeon, famed purveyor of ‘medutainment’ on his T.V. show, and the man President-elect Donald Trump has nominated to administer Medicaid and Medicare – has been doing so unchecked.

On his show (that ran from 2009 to 2022) and on numerous other occasions, Dr. Oz has hyped dubious medical “miracles” and recommended cures that range from the anodyne, to the bizarre and dangerous.

Here’s a partial list: a bar of lavender soap in bed to relieve restless leg syndrome; green coffee bean extract and raspberry ketones for weight loss; red onions, endives, and sea bass to reduce the risk of ovarian cancer; a poop primer for self-assessing overall health; 200 orgasms annually to extend life expectancy by six years; selenium supplements to prevent cancer; colloidal silver for the common cold; and a supplement containing human chorionic gonadotropin (a placental hormone) for weight loss.

In fact, the AMA Journal of Ethics has called Dr. Oz “a dangerous rogue unfit for the office of America’s doctor,” earned by virtue of his show.  In 2014, a Senate hearing on weight-loss scams chided him and told him to use his immense influence responsibly.

Yet, his dubious recommendations are not the only reason Dr. Oz is a questionable choice to head the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), an agency that spends $2.6 trillion annually. 

The following are of greater concern:

(Excerpt) Read more at americanthinker.com ...


TOPICS: Culture/Society; Government; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: droz; medicaid; medicare
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first 1-2021-25 next last

1 posted on 12/10/2024 8:29:06 AM PST by SeekAndFind
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | View Replies]

To: SeekAndFind
The author is concerned with Potential conflicts of interest, that will likely bias Dr. Oz’s decisions, for he has significant investments in healthcare and pharma companies, including the UnitedHealth Group, a critical CMS partner; in Amazon, which runs a Medicare-linked online pharmacy; and in Domino’s Pizzas, Pepsi, and U.S. Foods, makers of products linked to lifestyle diseases.

2 posted on 12/10/2024 8:30:00 AM PST by SeekAndFind
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: SeekAndFind

I see American Stinker is back.

Is it a Trump pick? Yes. Then they are perfect.


3 posted on 12/10/2024 8:32:16 AM PST by WeaslesRippedMyFlesh
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 2 | View Replies]

To: SeekAndFind

I would reject Oz for the role Trump wants to give him. Forget his medical views, he does not have the executive-managment backgroud for the Centers of Medicare and Medicaid, which is mostly about administering a vast set of insurance coverage rules and processing correctly the zillions of transactions that those rules must be applied to.


4 posted on 12/10/2024 8:36:04 AM PST by Wuli
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Wuli

Bloody hell ...

I think the guy is a jerk and a quack, and no friend of Oprah is a friend of mine ...

But I WILL NOT join the Boo-Birds pooping on President Trump’s selections for executive office. Unless the candidate is an axe-murderer or a traitor, Trump should get the executive team he wants.


5 posted on 12/10/2024 8:42:06 AM PST by NorthMountain (... the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 4 | View Replies]

To: SeekAndFind

If that guy is “America’s doctor” we are in a lot of trouble.


6 posted on 12/10/2024 8:43:50 AM PST by Jim Noble (Assez de mensonges et de phrases)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: NorthMountain
Agreed. If Trump called me up and asked if Dr. Ozzy was a good pick, I'd say no. But now that Trump has picked him I'll give him the benefit of the doubt...at least until he proves Trump wrong.

One thing I'll give the current team, I haven't seen one who's an experienced politician. For example, last time around I was excited about Trump picking Sessions as AG. Yes, Sessions was an experienced politician, but always on the right side of things. That is ... until .... he became AG. Him and other picks taught me to make my litmus test for cabinet picks to be ones who have little to no political experience.

7 posted on 12/10/2024 8:46:04 AM PST by Tell It Right (1 Thessalonians 5:21 -- Put everything to the test, hold fast to that which is true.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 5 | View Replies]

To: NorthMountain

I feel much the same way. He is the Chief Executive. He was voted in.

These people are tools for him to accomplish his goals. He should be able to hire and fire them as he sees fit.


8 posted on 12/10/2024 8:47:47 AM PST by rlmorel ("A people that elect corrupt politicians are not victims...but accomplices." George Orwell)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 5 | View Replies]

To: rlmorel
He should be able to hire and fire them as he sees fit.

There is that whole Constitutional "advice and consent" thing ... but that should be a fairly quick "is he qualified" and "is he a traitor" check, not the ridiculous circus that democRATs like Joe Biden and Ted Kennedy created.

9 posted on 12/10/2024 8:49:53 AM PST by NorthMountain (... the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 8 | View Replies]

To: Tell It Right

So true.

The governmental battle in 2024 is significantly different than the prospective one that would have been fought in 2016...which did not get fought due to both Trumps picks and the forces arrayed against him.

I believe Trump has learned some lessons.


10 posted on 12/10/2024 8:50:00 AM PST by rlmorel ("A people that elect corrupt politicians are not victims...but accomplices." George Orwell)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 7 | View Replies]

To: SeekAndFind

Yeah, Trump needs to rethink this one. More from the article:

Potential conflicts of interest will likely bias Dr. Oz’s decisions, for he has significant investments in healthcare and pharma companies, including the UnitedHealth Group, a critical CMS partner; in Amazon, which runs a Medicare-linked online pharmacy; and in Domino’s Pizzas, Pepsi, and U.S. Foods, makers of products linked to lifestyle diseases.
· Before he ran for Senate as a Republican candidate, Dr. Oz’s position on abortion, transgenderism, transitioning of children, and gun control were the opposite of what most Republicans and conservatives believe.
· Dr. Oz not only maintains Turkish citizenship – he voted in the 2018 Turkish elections, skipping a GOP primary in New Jersey – he is believed to be close to Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who has worked to destroy Kemalist secularism and restore fundamentalist Islam in Turkey since becoming president in 2014.


11 posted on 12/10/2024 8:50:36 AM PST by Flaming Conservative ((Pray with ceasing))
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: SeekAndFind

we need a manager in this position as well as doctors etc. We need some major positive change, not sure Oz is up to it.


12 posted on 12/10/2024 8:51:54 AM PST by 1Old Pro
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: SeekAndFind

Probably not, though for different reasons—and certainly better than his SG nominee (which is at least a lot more minor an appointment).


13 posted on 12/10/2024 8:51:54 AM PST by 9YearLurker
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Wuli

+1


14 posted on 12/10/2024 8:52:11 AM PST by 1Old Pro
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 4 | View Replies]

To: NorthMountain

Bloody hell. When Trump errs, he errs. I am a supporter but no choir boy. I call em as I see em.


15 posted on 12/10/2024 8:57:30 AM PST by Wuli
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 5 | View Replies]

To: SeekAndFind

There are much better choices.

When Trump errs he errs big.


16 posted on 12/10/2024 10:21:02 AM PST by Chickensoup
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 2 | View Replies]

To: Jim Noble

We live in Upstate NY, have all our lives.

Between hubby and I we can count 8 serious medical mistakes made by our healthcare professionals over the years. Some of which could have been fatal.

A few of those mistakes other medical professionals caught. One hubby caught. The majority were caught by me.

Dammit, Jim, I’m a housewife, not a doctor.

Compared to the medical professionals in our neck of the woods, Dr. Oz looks pretty good to me.


17 posted on 12/10/2024 10:29:09 AM PST by mewzilla (Swing away, Mr. President, swing away!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 6 | View Replies]

To: Flaming Conservative

There must be a better choice for Trump to approach.


18 posted on 12/10/2024 2:32:43 PM PST by lastchance (Cognovit Dominus qui sunt eius.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 11 | View Replies]

To: SeekAndFind
200 orgasms annually to extend life expectancy by six years

Hmmm... That number seems a little low, I would think 364 might be a bit more accurate?
19 posted on 12/10/2024 4:13:41 PM PST by Svartalfiar (-)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Svartalfiar

RE: 200 orgasms annually to extend life expectancy by six years

Did Dr. Oz say that?


20 posted on 12/10/2024 6:01:37 PM PST by SeekAndFind
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 19 | View Replies]


Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first 1-2021-25 next last

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson