Politico December 17, 2025
THE FIXER — It wasn’t what most people expected of Dr. Mehmet Oz.
The former celebrity heart surgeon, television personality, Oprah pal and supplement salesman became a political lightning rod after a failed 2022 Pennsylvania Senate bid.
But now, as administrator for the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services — where he oversees vast swathes of the U.S. health care system in the Trump administration — he’s getting praise from unlikely corners.
Oz is using his powers, both statutory and persuasive, to change Medicare policies to bolster primary care in ways that advocates had been seeking for years.
That’s no small accomplishment. Outside the health policy cognoscenti, the Medicare payment changes for 2026 look mind-numbingly technical: Efficiency adjustments. Evaluation and...
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