Ahead of Senate confirmation hearing, Dr. Oz asked to abandon ‘conflicts of interest’
Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) sent an open letter to President Donald Trump’s nominee for administrator of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), formally requesting he “divest any remaining financial interests in health-related companies or patents” to avoid a conflict of interest.
Mehmet Oz, MD—a cardiothoracic surgeon and Emmy-winning television personality—was announced in November as Trump’s nominee to lead CMS, a role that would place him in charge of the operations of Medicare and Medicaid funds. To date, he has yet to be confirmed by the U.S. Senate; however, his hearing before the Finance Committee is scheduled for Friday.
According to Warren, Oz promised to divest some of his holdings, which include stocks in the insurer UnitedHealthcare and pharmaceutical companies, including AbbVie and Eli Lilly.
Additionally, Oz often promotes medical devices, supplements, and drugs on social media and various television programs. His own TV program, “The Dr. Oz Show,” ended in 2022 having spun off from “The Oprah Winfrey Show” in 2009.
“Doctors have critiqued you for allegedly ‘promoting quack treatments and cures in the interest of personal financial gain.’ Furthermore, much of your financial portfolio—worth at least $98 million—is invested in healthcare and pharmaceutical companies whose value is tied to CMS’s regulatory work,” Warren wrote in the letter.
In addition to divesting and ending his promotion of medical products, the senator also requested Oz make a four-year commitment to not take any role as a lobbyist upon exiting his post at CMS.
“The rampant revolving door of former government leaders lobbying the agencies they once led, while their government relationships remain fresh, erodes Americans’ faith in the federal government,” Warren wrote.
“You should commit to not lobbying the CMS for at least four years after leaving office, either as a formal registered lobbyist or informal ‘shadow lobbyist’—given that former high-level officials can leverage their influence not only by directly lobbying but through facilitating others to do so,” she added.
Warren goes on to outline 11 specific steps Oz is requested to take in an effort to avoid conflicts of interest, alleviating the concerns of members of the Senate Finance Committee and the public more broadly.
The full letter can be found here.
Chad is an award-winning writer and editor with over 15 years of experience working in media. He has a decade-long professional background in healthcare, working as a writer and in public relations.