Inside Look at Dr. Oz's Success in the Trump Admin.

Summary

Bloomberg’s Rachel Cohrs Zhang details her reporting on Dr. Mehmet Oz’s surprisingly effective tenure as CMS administrator. Oz has built a serious policy team, forged friendly ties with RFK Jr. and Trump, and exerts unusual influence on broad health policy. The administration is still pursuing traditional Republican priorities like Medicaid cuts and ACA subsidy expiration, which are expected to increase costs and reduce coverage. The discussion highlights Oz’s political savvy and the low-conflict dynamic with Kennedy.

• Dr. Oz has become a trusted advisor to both Trump and RFK Jr., with influence beyond typical CMS boundaries.
• He assembled a team of Republican policymakers and focuses on operational execution of big ideas.
• Oz committed to serve his full four-year term as CMS administrator.
• His relationship with RFK Jr. is friendly, collaborative, and notably free of conflict.
• Policy direction includes Medicaid funding cuts and letting ACA subsidies expire, likely raising uninsured numbers.
• Oz is skilled at avoiding public credit grabs, aligning with Trump’s preference for deference.
• The reporting is based on over 40 interviews, including with Dr. Oz himself.