FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Friday, March 14, 2025
Media Contact: Anika Thota, PNHP Policy Specialist, anika@pnhp.org
As Dr. Mehmet Oz takes the stage at his confirmation hearing before the Senate Finance Committee, Physicians for a National Health Program (PNHP), and a coalition of labor and health care advocates are hosting a shadow hearing on Friday, March 14 at 9:00 a.m. Eastern to expose the truth about Medicaid cuts, Medicare privatization, and the detrimental effects of Medicare Advantage (MA). You can watch the shadow hearing LIVE here.
Dr. Oz, Trump’s pick to lead the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), has a history of promoting corporate-backed health schemes rather than prioritizing patient care. That’s why we’re holding a shadow hearing—to expose his dangerous agenda. Throughout his career, Dr. Oz has advocated for dubious medical practices and privatized insurance plans that prioritize profits over patients.
“Dr. Oz is a TV doctor, and does not represent the views of practicing physicians. He is certainly not someone we can trust to run Medicare,” said PNHP President Dr. Diljeet K. Singh. “His record of pushing questionable medical products and corporate-friendly insurance plans mirrors the deceptive tactics of Medicare Advantage, which promises better care but instead delivers delays, denials, and higher out-of-pocket costs.”
Numerous organizations are co-sponsoring our event to shine a light on corporate greed driving the expansion of Medicare Advantage.
“Medicare Advantage is a scam, and Mehmet Oz is a profiteering hatchet man looking to cash in on people’s pain,” said Sulma Arias, Executive Director of People’s Action. “If Oz is confirmed, he will allow insurance companies to deny and delay our care more often and raise the cost of health care. And because he’s a shareholder, Oz himself will make more money while we get hurt. Our lives are on the line, and senators need to stand up for us by voting no.”
“Medicare Advantage is a concession that can have negative consequences for retiree health care,” said Rose Roach, National Coordinator of the Labor Campaign for Single Payer. “The Labor Movement fought for – and won – our public Medicare program to secure accessible and affordable health care for all seniors in this country. We demand restoration and expansion of our traditional Medicare.”
Nancy Hagans, RN, President of National Nurses United, said “Our health care system is in crisis. Nurses know that the only way to resolve the fundamental problems in our current profit-driven system is to guarantee health care through Medicare for All. Dr. Mehmet Oz does not support guaranteed health care and has repeatedly shown his commitment to increasing the profits of health insurance companies at the expense of patient care. We urge the United States Senate to listen to the concerns of patients and health care workers across the U.S., and to vote NO on the nomination of Mehmet Oz as CMS Administrator.”
MA plans routinely fail patients when they need care most, trapping seniors in plans that promise choice but instead limit access to doctors and life-saving treatments. At our hearing, speakers will share stories of harm caused by privatized health care, highlighting that Dr. Oz’s perspective on privatized health care is self-serving and disregards the health of the American people.
Primary sponsors for this shadow hearing include Physicians for a National Health Program and Social Security Works. Cosponsors include Be a Hero; Committee of Interns and Residents, SEIU; Cross-union Retirees Organizing Committee (CROC NYC); Healthcare-NOW; Labor Campaign for Single Payer; National Alliance for Retiree Healthcare; National Nurses United; People’s Action; Popular Democracy; Progressive Democrats of America; Puget Sound Advocates for Retirement Action; and Students for a National Health Program.