Dr. Mehmet Oz
Administrator, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
Mehmet Cengiz Oz was born in June 1960 in Cleveland, Ohio. He earned an undergraduate degree from Harvard University and an M.D. and M.B.A. from the University of Pennsylvania. As a dual citizen of Turkey and the United States, Oz completed mandatory military training in the Turkish Army.
Oz was a surgical resident at Columbia University Irving Medical Center. He became a professor of surgery at the university and retired to professor emeritus in 2018. He co-founded a cardiac care center to provide alternative medicine to patients with heart disease. Oz hosted a television program on the Discovery Channel and made regular appearances on The Oprah Winfrey Show. Winfrey produced The Dr. Oz Show for 13 seasons.
Oz ran unsuccessfully for the U.S. Senate seat to represent Pennsylvania in 2022.
President Trump nominated Oz to be the administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services in November 2024. He was confirmed by the Senate and sworn into office in April 2025.
Oz is married to Lisa Lemole, and they have 4 children. He is Muslim.
In the News…
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) is investigating fraud in several states. After the widespread fraud was uncovered in Minnesota, CMS Administrator Dr. Mehmet Oz highlighted immense hospice care fraud in California and Nevada. Most recently, he turned his attention to Maine’s autism program.
Administrator Oz said, “Two weeks ago, Health and Human Services investigators released a report on Maine’s autism program in which they identified at least 45 million dollars in improper payments. But that’s not all.”
He continued, “They learned that the program’s payouts increased more than 50 percent in just four years. They found that treatment centers are clustered in small, geographic areas: just like they did in Minnesota.”
“They reviewed paperwork that was missing crucial information. Like whether the kids receiving these services had been properly diagnosed with autism in the first place. One hundred percent of the claims they examined had problems,“ Dr. Oz added. “And most troubling of all, they discovered that Maine had never conducted a statewide review of its autism program.“
Contact this Leader…
Did you pray for Administrator Oz? You can let him know at:
The Honorable Dr. Mehmet Oz, Administrator
Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
7500 Security Boulevard
Baltimore, MD 21244
